GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 


HISTORY  FOR   YOUTH. 


NATHANIEL  HAWTHORNE. 


NEW  YORK 

UNITED  STATES  BOOK  COMPANY 
150  WORTH  STREET,  CORNER  MISSION  PLACE 


a 


PREFACE. 


IN  writing  this  ponderous  tome,  the  author's  desire 
has  been  to  describe  the  eminent  characters  and  re 
markable  events  of  our  early  annals  in  such  a  form 
and  style  that  the  YOUNG  might  make  acquaintance 
with  them  of  their  own  accord.  For  this  purpose, 
while  ostensibly  relating  the  adventures  of  a  chair, 
he  has  endeavored  to  keep  a  distinct  and  unbroken 
thread  of  authentic  history.  The  chair  is  made  to 
pass  from  one  to  another  of  those  personages  of  whom 
he  thought  it  most  desirable  for  the  young  reader  to 
have  vivid  and  familiar  ideas,  and  whose  lives  and  ac 
tions  would  best  enable  him  to  give  picturesque 
sketches  of  the  times. 

There  is  certainly  no  method  by  which  the  shadowy 
outlines  of  departed  men  and  women  can  be  made  to 
assume  the  hues  of  life  more  effectually  than  by  con 
necting  their  images  with  the  substantial  and  homely 
reality  of  a  fireside  chair.  It  causes  us  to  feel  at  once 
that  these  characters  of  history  had  a  private  and  fa 
miliar  existence,  and  were  not  wholly  contained  with 
in  that  cold  array  of  outward  action  which  we  are 
compelled  to  receive  as  the  adequate  representation 
of  their  lives.  If  this  impression  can  be  given,  much 
is  accomplished. 

M101305 


*  PREFACE. 

Setting  aside  Grandfather  and  his  auditors,  and  ex 
cepting  the  adventures  of  the  chair,  which  form  the 
machinery  of  the  work,  nothing  in  the  ensuing  pages 
can  be  termed  fictitious.  The  author,  it  is  true,  has 
sometimes  assumed  the  license  of  filling  up  the  out 
line  of  history  with  details  for  which  he  has  none  but 
imaginative  authority,  but  which,  he  hopes,  do  not 
violate  nor  give  a  false  coloring  to  the  truth.  He  be 
lieves  that,  in  this  respect,  his  narrative  will  not  be 
found  to  convey  ideas  and  impressions  of  which  the 
reader  may  hereafter  find  it  necessary  to  purge  his 
mind. 

The  author's  great  doubt  is,  whether  he  has  suc 
ceeded  in  writing  a  book  which  will  be  readable  by 
the  class  for  whom  he  intends  it.  To  make  a  lively 
and  entertaining  narrative  for  children,  with  such  un- 
malleable  material  as  is  presented  by  the  sombre, 
stern,  and  rigid  characteristics  of  the  Puritans  and 
their  descendants,  is  quite  as  difficult  an  attempt  as 
to  manufacture  delicate  playthings  out  of  the  granite 
rocks  on  which  New  England  is  founded. 

BOSTON,  November,  1840. 


GRANDFATHER'S 


CHAPTER  I.:,  ,  .7,  •    ••*";';.','• 

GRANDFATHER  had  been  sitting  in  his  old  arm-chair 
all  that  pleasant  afternoon,  while  the  children  were 
pursuing  their  various  sports  far  off  or  near  at  hand. 
Sometimes  you  would  have  said,  "  Grandfather  is 
asleep  !  "  but  still,  even  when  his  eyes  were  closed, 
his  thoughts  were  with  the  young  people,  playing 
among  the  flowers  and  shrubbery  of  the  garden. 

He  heard  the  voice  of  Laurence,  who  had  taken 
possession  of  a  heap  of  decayed  branches  which  the 
gardener  had  lopped  from  the  fruit  trees,  and  was 
building  a  little  hut  for  his  cousin  Clara  and  himself, 
lie  heard  Clara's  gladsome  voice,  too,  as  she  weeded 
and  watered  the  flower-bed  which  had  been  given  her 
for  her  own.  lie  could  have  counted  every  footstep 
that  Charley  took,  as  he  trundled  his  wheelbarrow 
along  the  gravel  walk.  And  though  Grandfather  was 
old  and  gray-haired,  yet  his  heart  leaped  with  joy 
whenever  little  Alice  came  fluttering,  like  a  butterfly, 
into  the  room.  She  had  made  each  of  the  children 


6  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

her  playmate  in  turn,  and  now  made  Grandfather  her 
playmate  too,  and  thought  him  the  merriest  of  them 
all. 

At  last  the  children  grew  weary  of  their  sports ; 
because  a  summer  afternoon  is  like  a  long  lifetime  to 
the  young.  So  they  came  into  the  room  together,  and 
clustered  round  Grandfather's  great  chair.  Little 
Alice,  who  was  hardly  five  years  old,  took  the  privi 
lege  of  the  youngest,  and  climbed  his  knee.  It  was  a 
pleasant  thing  to  behold  that  fair  and  golden-haired 
'child', iii  ;t))'4  Jap  of,  the  old  man,  and  to  think  that, 
diffe'rent  as  tliey-were,  the  hearts  of  both  could  be 
glf^cjerfeft  with.  tli6  same  joys. 

<T  Grandfather,"  said  little  Alice,  laying  her  head 
back  upon  his  arm,  "  I  am  very  tired  now.  You  must 
tell  me  a  story  to  make  me  go  to  sleep." 

"  That  is  not  what  story-tellers  like,"  answered 
Grandfather,  smiling.  "  They  are  better  satisfied 
when  they  can  keep  their  auditors  awake." 

"  But  here  are  Laurence,  and  Charley,  and  I,"  cried 
cousin  Clara,  who  was  twice  as  old  as  little  Alice. 
"  We  will  all  three  keep  wide  awake.  And  pray, 
Grandfather,  tell  us  a  story  about  this  strange-looking 
old  chair." 

Now,  the  chair  in  which  Grandfather  sat  was  made 
of  oak,  which  had  grown  dark  with  age,  but  had  been 
rubbed  and  polished  till  it  shone  as  bright  as  mahog 
any.  It  was  very  large  and  heavy,  and  had  a  back 
that  rose  high  above  Grandfather's  white  head.  This 
back  was  curiously  carved  in  open  work,  so  as  to  rep 
resent  flowers,  and  foliage,  and  other  devices,  which 
the  children  had  often  gazed  at,  but  could  never  un 
derstand  what  they  meant.  On  the  very  tiptop  of 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  7 

the  chair,  over  the  head  of  Grandfather  himself,  was 
a  likeness  of  a  lion's  head,  which  had  such  a  savage 
grin  that  you  would  almost  expect  to  hear  it  growl 
and  snarl. 

The  children  had  seen  Grandfather  sitting  in  this 
chair  ever  since  they  could  remember  anything.  Per 
haps  the  younger  of  them  supposed  that  he  and  the 
chair  had  come  into  the  world  together,  and  that  both 
had  always  been  as  old  as  they  were  now.  At  this 
time,  however,  it  happened  to  be  the  fashion  for  la 
dies  to  adorn  their  drawing-rooms  with  the  oldest  and 
oddest  chairs  that  could  be  found.  It  seemed  to 
cousin  Clara  that,  if  these  ladies  could  have  seen 
Grandfather's  old  chair,  they  would  have  thought  it 
worth  all  the  rest  together.  She  wondered  if  it  were 
not  even  older  than  Grandfather  himself,  and  longed 
to  know  all  about  its  history. 

"  Do,  Grandfather,  talk  to  us  about  this  chair,"  she 
repeated. 

"Well,  child,"  said  Grandfather,  patting  Clara's 
cheek,  "  I  can  tell  you  a  great  many  stories  of  my 
chair.  Perhaps  your  cousin  Laurence  would  like  to 
hear  them  too.  They  will  teach  him  something 
about  the  history  and  distinguished  people  of  his 
country  which  he  has  never  read  in  any  of  his  school- 
books." 

Cousin  Laurence  was  a  boy  of  twelve,  a  bright 
scholar,  in  whom  an  early  thoughtfulness  and  sensi 
bility  began  to  show  themselves.  His  young  fancy 
kindled  at  the  idea  of  knowing  all  the  adventures  of 
this  venerable  chair.  lie  looked  eagerly  in  Grand 
father's  face  ;  and  even  Charley,  a  bold,  brisk,  restless 
little  fellow  of  nine,. sat  himself  down  on  the  carpet, 


8  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

and  resolved  to  be  quiet  for  at  least  ten  minutes,  should 
the  story  last  so  long. 

Meantime,  little  Alice  was  already  asleep  ;  so  Grand 
father,  being  much  pleased  with  such  an  attentive  audi 
ence,  began  to  talk  about  matters  that  had  happened 
long  ago. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BUT  before  relating  the  adventures  of  the  chair, 
Grandfather  found  it  necessary  to  speak  of  the  circum 
stances  that  caused  the  first  settlement  of  New  Eng 
land.  For  it  will  soon  be  perceived  that  the  story  of 
this  remarkable  chair  cannot  be  told  without  telling  a 
great  deal  of  the  history  of  the  country. 

So  Grandfather  talked  about  the  Puritans,  as  those 
persons  were  called  who  thought  it  sinful  to  practise 
the  religious  forms  and  ceremonies  which  the  Church 
of  England  had  borrowed  from  the  Roman  Catholics. 
These  Puritans  suffered  so  much  persecution  in  Eng 
land,  that,  in  1G07,  many  of  them  went  over  to  Hol 
land,  and  lived  ten  or  twelve  years  at  Amsterdam  and 
Leyden.  But  they  feared  that,  if  they  continued  there 
much  longer,  they  should  cease  to  be  English,  and 
should  adopt  all  the  manners,  and  ideas,  and  feelings 
of  the  Dutch.  For  this  and  other  reasons,  in  the  year 
1620  they  embarked  on  board  of  the  ship  Mayflower, 
and  crossed  the  ocean,  to  the  shores  of  Cape  Cod. 
There  they  made  a  settlement,  and  called  it  Plymouth, 
which,  though  now  a  part  of  Massachusetts,  was  for  a 
long  time  a  colony  by  itself.  And  thus  was  formed 
the  earliest  settlement  of  the  Puritans  in  America. 

Meantime,  those  of  the  Puritans  who  remained  in 
England  continued  to  suffer  grievous  persecutions  on 
account  of  their  religious  opinions.  They  began  to 
look  around  them  for  some  spot  where  they  might  wor- 


10  GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR. 

ship  God,  not  as  the  king  and  bishops  thought  fit,  but 
according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences. 
When  their  brethren  had  gone  from  Holland  to 
America,  they  bethought  themselves  that  they  like 
wise  might  find  refuge  from  persecution  there.  Several 
gentlemen  among  them  purchased  a  tract  of  country  on 
the  coast  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  obtained  a  charter 
from  King  Charles,  which  authorized  them  to  make 
laws  for  the  settlers.  In  the  year  1628  they  sent  over 
a  few  people,  with  John  Endicott  at  their  head,  to  com 
mence  a  plantation  at  Salem.  Peter  Palfrey,  Roger 
Con  ant,  and  one  or  two  more  had  built  houses  there 
in  1626,  and  may  be  considered  as  the  first  settlers  of 
that  ancient  town.  Many  other  Puritans  prepared  to 
follow  Endicott. 

"  And  now  we  come  to  the  chair,  my  dear  children," 
said  Grandfather.  "  This  chair  is  supposed  to  have 
been  made  of  an  oak  tree  which  grew  in  the  park  of 
the  English  earl  of  lincoln  between  two  and  three 
centuries  ago.  In  its  younger  days  it  used,  probably, 
to  stand  in  the  hall  of  the  earl's  castle.  Do  not 
you  see  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  family  of  Lincoln 
carved  in  the  open-work  of  the  back  ?  But  when 
his  daughter,  the  Lady  Arbella,  was  married  to  a 
certain  Mr.  Johnson,  the  earl  gave  her  this  valuable 
chair." 

"  Who  was  Mr.  Johnson  ? "  inquired  Clara. 

"  He  was  a  gentleman  of  great  wealth,  who  agreed 
with  the  Puritans  in  their  religious  opinions,"  an 
swered  Grandfather.  "  And  as  his  belief  was  the 
same  as  theirs,  he  resolved  that  he  would  live  and  die 
with  them.  Accordingly,  in  the  month  of  April,  1630, 
he  left  his  pleasant  abode  and  all  his  comforts  in  Eng- 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  11 

land,  and  embarked,  with  Lady  Arbella,  on  board  of 
a  ship  bound  for  America." 

As  Grandfather  was  frequently  impeded  by  the 
questions  and  observations  of  his  young  auditors,  we 
deem  it  advisable  to  omit  all  such  prattle  as  is  not 
essential  to  the  story.  We  have  taken  some  pains  to 
find  out  exactly  what  Grandfather  said,  and  here  offer 
to  our  readers,  as  nearly  as  possible  in  his  own  words, 
the  story  of 

THE   LADY    AKBELLA. 

The  ship  in  which  Mr.  Johnson  and  his  lady  em 
barked,  taking  Grandfather's  chair  along  with  them, 
was  called  the  Arbella,  in  honor  of  the  lady  herself. 
A  fleet  of  ten  or  twelve  vessels,  with  many  hundred 
passengers,  left  England  about  the  same  time  ;  for  a 
multitude  of  people,  who  were  discontented  with  the 
king's  government  and  oppressed  by  the  bishops,  were 
flocking  over  to  the  new  world.  One  of  the  vessels 
in  the  fleet  was  that  same  Mayflower  which  had  carried 
the  Puritan  pilgrims  to  Plymouth.  And  now,  my 
children,  I  would  have  you  fancy  yourselves  in  the 
cabin  of  the  good  ship  Arbella  ;  because  if  you  could 
behold  the  passengers  aboard  that  vessel,  you  would 
feel  what  a  blessing  and  honor  it  was  for  New  Eng 
land  to  have  such  settlers.  They  were  the  best  men 
and  women  of  their  day. 

Among  the  passengers  was  John  "Winthrop,  who  had 
sold  the  estate  of  his  forefathers,  and  was  going  to 
prepare  a  new  home  for  his  wife  and  children  in  the 
wilderness,  lie  had  the  king's  charter  in  his  keeping, 
and  was  appointed  the  first  Governor  of  Massachusetts. 


12  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

Imagine  him  a  person  of  grave  and  benevolent  aspect, 
dressed  in  a  black  velvet  suit,  with  a  broad  ruff  around 
his  neck,  and  a  peaked  beard  upon  his  chin.  There 
was  likewise  a  minister  of  the  gospel  whom  the  Eng 
lish  bishops  had  forbidden  to  preach,  but  who  knew 
that  he  should  have  liberty  both  to  preach  and  pray 
in  the  forests  of  America.  He  wore  a  black  cloak, 
called  a  Geneva*  cloak,  and  had  a  black  velvet  cap, 
fitting  close  to  his  head,  as  was  the  fashion  of  almost 
all  the  Puritan  clergymen.  In  their  company  came 
Sir  Richard  Saltonstall,  who  had  been  one  of  the  five 
first  projectors  of  the  new  colony.  He  soon  returned 
to  his  native  country.  But  his  descendants  still  remain 
in  New  England  ;  and  the  good  old  family  name  is  as 
much  respected  in  our  days  as  it  was  in  those  of  Sir 
Richard. 

Not  only  these,  but  several  other  men  of  wealth 
and  pious  ministers  were  in  the  cabin  of  the  Arbella. 
One  had  banished  himself  forever  from  the  old  hall 
where  his  ancestors  had  lived  for  hundreds  of  years. 
Another  had  left  his  quiet  parsonage,  in  a  country- 
town  of  England.  Others  had  come  from  the  uni 
versities  of  Oxford  or  Cambridge,  where  they  had 
gained  great  fame  for  their  learning.  And  here  they 
all  were,  tossing  upon  the  uncertain  and  dangerous 
sea,  and  bound  for  a  home  that  was  more  dangerous 
than  even  the  sea  itself.  In  the  cabin,  likewise,  sat 
the  Lady  Arbella  in  her  chair,  with  a  gentle  and 
sweet  expression  on  her  face,  but  looking  too  pale  and 
feeble  to  endure  the  hardships  of  the  wilderness. 

Every  morning  and  evening  the  Lady  Arbella  gave 
up  her  great  chair  to  one  of  the  ministers,  who  took 
his  place  in  it  aiic!  read  passages  from  the  Bible  to  his 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  13 

companions.  And  thus,  with  prayers,  and  pious  con 
versation,  and  frequent  singing  of  hymns,  which  the 
breezes  caught  from  their  lips  and  scattered  far  over 
the  desolate  waves,  they  prosecuted  their  voyage,  and 
sailed  into  the  harbour  of  Salem  in  the  month  of 
June. 

At  that  period  there  were  but  six  or  eight  dwellings 
in  the  town  ;  and  these  were  miserable  hovels,  with 
roofs  of  straw  and  wooden  chimneys.  The  passengers 
in  the  fleet  either  built  huts  with  bark  and  branches 
of  trees,  or  erected  tents  of  cloth  till  they  could  pro 
vide  themselves  with  better  shelter.  Many  of  them 
went  to  form  a  settlement  at  Charlestown.  It  was 
thought  fit  that  the  Lady  Arbella  should  tarry  in 
Salem  for  a  time  :  she  was  probably  received  as  a 
guest  into  the  family  of  John  Endicott.  He  was  the 
chief  person  in  the  plantation,  and  had  the  only  com 
fortable  house  which  the  new-comers  had  beheld  since 
they  left  England.  So  now,  children,  you  must  im 
agine  Grandfather's  chair  in  the  midst  of  a  new  scene. 

Suppose  it  a  hot  summer's  day,  and  the  lattice-win 
dows  of  a  chamber  in  Mr.  Endicott's  house  thrown 
wide  open.  The  Lady  Arbella,  looking  paler  than 
she  did  on  shipboard,  is  sitting  in  her  chair  and  think 
ing  mournfully  of  far-off  England.  She  rises  and 
goes  to  the  window.  There,  amid  patches  of  garden 
ground  and  cornfield,  she  sees  the  few  wretched  hov 
els  of  the  settlers,  with  the  still  ruder  wigwams  and 
cloth  tents  of  the  passengers  who  had  arrived  in  the 
same  fleet  with  herself.  Far  and  near  stretches  the 
dismal  forest  of  pine  trees,  which  throw  their  black 
shadows  over  the  whole  land,  and  likewise  over  the 
heart  of  this  poor  lady. 


14  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

All  the  inhabitants  of  the  little  village  are  busy. 
One  is  clearing  a  spot  on  the  verge  of  the  forest  for 
his  homestead  ;  another  is  hewing  the  trunk  of  a  fallen 
pine  tree,  in  order  to  build  himself  a  dwelling ;  a  third 
is  hoeing  in  his  field  of  Indian  corn.  Here  comes  a 
huntsman  out  of  the  woods,  dragging  a  bear  which  he 
has  shot,  and  shouting  to  the  neighbors  to  lend  him  a 
hand.  There  goes  a  man  to  the  sea-shore,  with  a 
spade  and  a  bucket,  to  dig  a  mess  of  clams,  which 
were  a  principal  article  of  food  with  the  first  settlers. 
Scattered'  here  and  there  are  two  or  three  dusky  fig 
ures,  clad  in  mantles  of  fur,  with  ornaments  of  bone 
hanging  from  their  ears,  and  the  feathers  of  wild  birds 
in  their  coal  black  hair.  They  have  belts  of  shell- 
work  slung  across  their  shoulders,  and  are  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows  and  flint-headed  spears.  These  are 
an  Indian  Sagamore  and  his  attendants,  who  have 
come  to  gaze  at  the  labors  of  the  white  men.  And 
now  rises  a  cry  that  a  pack  of  wolves  have  seized  a 
young  calf  in  the  pasture  ;  and  every  man  snatches 
up  his  gun  or  pike  and  runs  in  chase  of  the  maraud 
ing  beasts. 

Poor  Lady  Arbella  watches  all  these  sights,  and 
feels  that  this  new  world  is  fit  only  for  rough  and 
hardy  people.  None  should  be  here  but  those  who 
can  struggle  with  wild  beasts  and  wild  men,  and  can 
toil  in  the  heat  or  cold,  and  can  keep  their  hearts  firm 
against  all  difficulties  and  dangers.  But  she  is  not 
one  of  these.  Her  gentle  and  timid  spirit  sinks 
within  her  ;  and,  turning  away  from  the  window, 
she  sits  down  in  the  great  chair  and  wonders  where 
abouts  in  the  wilderness  her  friends  will  dig  her 
grave. 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  15 

Mr.  Johnson  had  gone,  with  Governor  Winthrop 
and  most  of  the  other  passengers,  to  Boston,  where 
lie  intended  to  build  a  house  for  Lady  Arbella  and 
himself.  Boston  was  then  covered  with  wild  woods, 
and  had  fewer  inhabitants,  even,  than  Salem.  Dur 
ing  her  husband's  absence,  poor  Lady  Arbella  felt 
herself  growing  ill,  and  was  hardly  able  to  stir  from 
the  great  chair.  Whenever  John  Endicott  noticed 
her  despondency,  he  doubtless  addressed  her  with 
words  of  comfort.  "Cheer  up,  my  good  lady  !  "  he 
would  say.  "  In  a  little  time,  you  will  love  this  rude 
life  of  the  wilderness  as  I  do."  But  Eridicott's  heart 
was  as  bold  and  resolute  as  iron,  and  he  could  not  un 
derstand  why  a  woman's  heart  should  not  be  of  iron 
too. 

Still,  however,  he  spoke  kindly  to  the  lady,  and 
then  hastened  forth  to  till  his  corn-field  and  set  out 
fruit  trees,  or  to  bargain  with  the  Indians  for  furs,  or 
perchance  to  oversee  the  building  of  a  fort.  Also,  be 
ing  a  magistrate,  he  had  often  to  punish  some  idler  or 
evil  doer,  by  ordering  him  to  be  set  in  the  stocks  or 
scourged  at  the  whipping-post.  Often,  too,  as  was 
the  custom  of  the  times,  he  and  Mr.  Iligginson,  the 
minister  of  Salem,  held  long  religious  talks  together. 
Thus  John  Endicott  was  a  man  of  multifarious  busi 
ness,  and  had  no  time  to  look  back  regretfully  to  his 
native  land.  lie  felt  himself  fit  for  the  New  World 
and  for  the  work  that  he  had  to  do,  and  set  himself 
resolutely  to  accomplish  it. 

What  a  contrast,  my  dear  children,  between  this 
bold,  rough,  active  man,  and  the  gentle  Lady  Arbella, 
who  was  fading  away,  like  a  pale  English  flower,  in 
the  shadow  of  the  forest !  And  now  the  great  chair 


16  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

was   often   empty,  because   Lady  Arbella   grew  toft 
weak  to  arise  from  bed. 

Meantime,  her  husband  had  pitched  upon  a  spot, 
for  their  new  home.  He  returned  from  Boston  to 
Salem,  travelling  through  the  woods  on  foot,  and  lean 
ing  on  his  pilgrim's  staff.  His  heart  yearned  within 
him ;  for  he  was  eager  to  tell  his  wife  of  the  new 
home  which  he  had  chosen.  But  when  he  beheld  her 
pale  and  hollow  cheek,  and  found  how  her  strength 
was  wasted,  he  must  have  known  that  her  appointed 
home  was  in  a  better  land.  Happy  for  him  then- 
happy  both  for  him  and  her — if  they  remembered 
that  there  was  a  path  to  heaven,  as  well  from  this 
heathen  wilderness  as  from  the  Christian  land  whence 
they  had  come.  And  so,  in  one  short  month  from 
her  arrival,  the  gentle  Lady  Arbella  faded  away  and 
died.  They  dug  a  grave  for  her  in  the  new  soil, 
where  the  roots  of  the  pine  trees  impeded  their 
spades ;  and  when  her  bones  had  rested  there  nearly 
two  hundred  years,  and  a  city  had  sprung  up  around 
them,  a  church  of  stone  was  built  upon  the  spot. 


Charley,  almost  at  the  commencement  of  the  fore 
going  narrative,  had  galloped  away,  with  a  prodigious 
clatter,  upon  Grandfather's  stick,  and  was  not  yet  re 
turned.  So  large  a  boy  should  have  been  ashamed  to 
ride  upon  a  stick.  But  Laurence  and  Clara  had  lis 
tened  attentively,  and  were  affected  by  this  true  story 
of  the  gentle  lady  who  had  come  so  far  to  die  so  soon. 
Grandfather  had  supposed  that  little  Alice  was  asleep  ; 
but  towards  the  close  of  the  story,  happening  to  look 
down  upon  her,  he  saw  that  her  blue  eyes  were  wide 
open,  and  fixed  earnestly  upon  his  face.  The  tears 


GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR.  17 

had  gathered  in  them,  like  dew  upon  a  delicate  flow 
er  ;  but  when  Grandfather  ceased  to  speak,  the  sun 
shine  of  her  smile  broke  forth  again. 

"  Oh,  the  lady  must  have  been  so  glad  to  get  to 
heaven  !  "  exclaimed  little  Alice. 

"  Grandfather,  what  became  of  Mr.  Johnson  ? J> 
asked  Clara. 

"  His  heart  appears  to  have  been  quite  broken,"  an 
swered  Grandfather  ;  "  for  he  died  at  Boston  within 
a  month  after  the  death  of  his  wife.  He  was  buried 
in  the  very  same  tract  of  ground  where  he  had  intend 
ed  to  build  a  dwelling  for  Lady  Arbella  and  himself. 
Where  their  house  would  have  stood,  there  was  his 
grave." 

"  I  never  heard  anything  so  melancholy  ! "  said  Clara. 

"  The  people  loved  and  respected  Mr.  Johnson  so 
much,"  continued  Grandfather,  "  that  it  was  the  last 
request  of  many  of  them,  when  they  died,  that  they 
might  be  buried  as  near  as  possible  to  this  good  man's 
grave.  And  so  the  field  became  the  first  burial-ground 
in  Boston.  When  you  pass  through  Tremont  Street, 
along  by  King's  Chapel,  you  see  a  burial-ground,  con 
taining  many  old  grave-stones  and  monuments.  That 
was  Mr.  Johnson's  field." 

"  How  sad  is  the  thought,"  observed  Clara,  "  that 
one  of  the  first  things  which  the  settlers  had  to  do, 
when  they  came  to  the  New  World,  was  to  set  apart 
a  burial-ground  !  " 

"  Perhaps,"  said  Laurence,  "  if  they  had  found  no 
need  of  burial-grounds  here,  they  would  have  been 
glad,  after  a  few  years,  to  go  back  to  England." 

Grandfather  looked  at  Laurence,  to  discover  whether 
lie  knew  how  profound  and  true  a  thing  he  had  said 
2 


CHAPTEE  III. 

long  after  Grandfather  had  told  the  story  of 
his  great  chair,  there  chanced  to  be  a  rainy  day.  Our 
friend  Charley,  after  disturbing  the  household  with 
beat  of  drum  and  riotous  shouts,  races  up  and  down 
the  staircase,  overturning  of  chairs,  and  much  other 
uproar,  began  to  feel  the  quiet  and  confinement  with 
in  doors  intolerable.  But  as  the  rain  came  down  in  a 
flood,  the  little  fellow  was  hopelessly  a  prisoner,  and 
now  stood  with  sullen  aspect  at  a  window,  wondering 
whether  the  sun  itself  were  not  extinguished  by  so 
much  moisture  in  the  sky. 

Charley  had  already  exhausted  the  less  eager  activ 
ity  of  the  other  children  ;  and  they  had  betaken  them 
selves  to  occupations  that  did  not  admit  of  his  com 
panionship.  Laurence  sat  in  a  recess  near  the  book 
case,  reading,  not  for  the  first  time,  the  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream.  Clara  was  making  a  rosary  of  beads 
for  a  little  figure  of  a  Sister  of  Charity,  who  was  to 
attend  the  Bunker  Hill  fair  and  lend  her  aid  in  erect 
ing  the  Monument.  Little  Alice  sat  on  Grandfather's 
footstool,  with  a  picture  book  in  her  hand ;  and,  for 
every  picture,  the  child  was  telling  Grandfather  a 
story.  She  did  not  read  from  the  book  (for  little 
Alice  had  not  much  skill  in  reading),  but  told  the 
story  out  of  her  own  heart  and  mind. 

Charley  was  too  big  a  boy,  of  course,  to  care  any 
thing  about  little  Alice's  stories,  although  Grandfather 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  19 

appeared  to  listen  with  a  good  deal  of  interest. 
Often,  in  a  young  child's  ideas  and  fancies,  there  is 
something  which  it  requires  the  thought  of  a  lifetime 
to  comprehend.  But  Charley  was  of  opinion  that,  if 
a  story  must  be  told,  it  had  better  be  told  by  Grand 
father  than  little  Alice. 

"  Grandfather,  I  want  to  hear  more  about  you\ 
chair,"  said  he. 

Now,  Grandfather  remembered  that  Charley  had 
galloped  away  upon  a  stick  in  the  midst  of  the  narra 
tive  of  poor  Lady  Arbella,  and  I  know  not  whether 
he  would  have  thought  it  worth  while  to  tell  another 
story  merely  to  gratify  such  an  inattentive  auditor  as 
Charley.  But  Laurence  laid  down  his  book  and  sec 
onded  the  request.  Clara  drew  her  chair  nearer  to 
Grandfather  ;  and  little  Alice  immediately  closed  her 
picture  book  and  looked  up  into  his  face.  Grand 
father  had  not  the  heart  to  disappoint  them. 

He  mentioned  several  persons  who  had  a  share  in 
the  settlement  of  our  country,  and  who  would  be  well 
worthy  of  remembrance,  if  we  could  find  room  to  tell 
about  them  all.  Among  the  rest,  Grandfather  spoke 
of  the  famous  Hugh  Peters,  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
who  did  much  good  to  the  inhabitants  of  Salem. 
Mr.  Peters  afterwards  went  back  to  England,  and 
was  chaplain  to  Oliver  Cromwell ;  but  Grandfather 
did  riot  tell  the  children  what  became  of  this  upright 
and  zealous  man  at  last.  In  fact,  his  auditors  were 
growing  impatient  to  hear  more  about  the  history  of 
the  chair. 

"  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Johnson,"  said  he, 
"  Grandfather's  chair  came  into  the  possession  of 
Roger  Williams.  He  was  a  clergyman,  who  arrived 


20  GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR 

at  Salem,  and  settled  there  in  1631.  Doubtless  the 
good  man  has  spent  many  a  studious  hour  in  this  old 
chair,  either  penning  a  sermon  or  reading  some  ab 
struse  book  of  theology,  till  midnight  came  upon  him 
unawares.  At  that  period,  as  there  were  few  lamps 
or  candles  to  be  had,  people  used  to  read  or  work  by 
the  light  of  pitchpine  torches.  These  supplied  the 
place  of  the  '  midnight  oil '  to  the  learned  men  of 
New  England." 

Grandfather  went  on  to  talk  about  Roger  Williams, 
and  told  the  children  several  particulars,  which  we 
have  not  room  to  repeat.  One  incident,  however, 
which  was  connected  with  his  life,  must  be  related, 
because  it  will  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  opinions 
and  feelings  of  the  first  settlers  of  New  England.  It 
was  as  follows : 

THE    RED    CROSS. 

While  Roger  Williams  sat  in  Grandfather's  chair 
at  his  humble  residence  in  Salem,  John  Endicott 
would  often  come  to  visit  him.  As  the  clergy  had 
great  influence  in  temporal  concerns,  the  minister  and 
magistrate  would  talk  over  the  occurrences  of  the  day, 
and  consult  how  the  people  might  be  governed  ac 
cording  to  scriptural  laws. 

One  thing  especially  troubled  them  both.  In  the 
old  national  banner  of  England,  under  which  her  sol 
diers  have  fought  for  hundreds  of  years,  there  is  a 
Red  Cross,  which  has  been  there  ever  since  the  days 
when  England  was  in  subjection  to  the  pope.  The 
Cross,  though  a  holy  symbol,  was  abhorred  by  the 
Puritans,  because  they  considered  it  a  relic  of  popish 
idolatry.  Now,  whenever  the  train-band  of  Salem 


GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR.  21 

was  mustered,  the  soldiers,  with  Endicott  at  their 
head,  had  no  other  flag  to  march  tinder  than  this  same 
old  papistical  banner  of  England,  with  the  Red  Cross 
in  the  midst  of  it.  The  banner  of  the  Red  Cross, 
likewise,  was  flying  on  the  walls  of  the  fort  of  Salem  ; 
and  a  similar  one  was  displayed  in  Boston  harbour, 
from  the  fortress  on  Castle  Island. 

"I  profess,  Brother  Williams,"  Captain  Endicott 
would  say,  after  they  had  been  talking  of  this  matter, 
"  it  distresses  a  Christian  man's  heart  to  see  this  idola 
trous  Cross  flying  over  our  heads.  A  stranger,  behold 
ing  it,  would  think  that  we  had  undergone  all  our 
hardships  and  dangers,  by  sea  and  in  the  wilderness, 
only  to  get  new  dominions  for  the  Pope  of  Rome." 

"  Truly,  good  Mr.  Endicott,"  Roger  Williams  would 
answer,  "  you  speak  as  an  honest  man  and  Protestant 
Christian  should.  For  mine  own  part,  were  it  my 
business  to  draw  a  spvord,  I  should  reckon  it  sinful  to 
fight  under  such  a  banner.  Neither  can  I,  in  my  pul 
pit,  ask  the  blessing  of  Heaven  upon  it." 

Such,  probably,  was  the  way  in  which  Roger  Wil 
liams  and  John  Endicott  used  to  talk  about  the  ban 
ner  of  the  Red  Cross.  Endicott,  who  was  a  prompt 
and  resolute  man,  soon  determined  that  Massachusetts, 
if  she  could  not  have  a  banner  of  her  own,  should  at 
least  be  delivered  from  that  of  the  Pope  of  Rome. 

Not  long  afterwards  there  was  a  military  muster  at 
Salem.  Every  ablebodied  man  in  the  town  and 
neighbourhood  was  there.  All  were  well  armed,  with 
steel  caps  upon  their  heads,  plates  of  iron  upon  their 
breasts  and  at  their  backs,  and  gorgets  of  steel  around 
their  necks.  When  the  sun  shone  upon  these  ranks 
of  iron-clad  men,  they  flashed  and  blazed  with  a  splen- 


22  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

dor  that  bedazzled  the  wild  Indians  who  had  come 
out  of  the  woods  to  gaze  at  them.  The  soldiers  had 
long  pikes,  swords,  and  muskets,  which  were  fired 
with  matches,  and  were  almost  as  heavy  as  a  small 
cannon. 

These  men  had  mostly  a  stern  and  rigid  aspect 
To  judge  by  their  looks,  you  might  have  supposed 
that  there  was  as  much  iron  in  their  hearts  as  there 
was  upon  their  heads  and  breasts.  They  were  all  de 
voted  Puritans,  and  of  the  same  temper  as  those  with 
whom  Oliver  Cromwell  afterwards  overthrew  the 
throne  of  England.  They  hated  all  the  relics  of 
popish  superstition  as  much  as  Endicott  himself ;  and 
yet  over  their  heads  was  displayed  the  banner  of  the 
Eed  Cross. 

Endicott  was  the  captain  of  the  company.  While 
the  soldiers  were  expecting  his  orders  to  begin  their 
exercise,  they  saw  him  take  the  banner  in  one  hand, 
holding  his  drawn  sword  in  the  other.  Probably  he 
addressed  them  in  a  speech,  and  explained  how  hor 
rible  a  thing  it  was  that  men,  who  had  fled  from  popisli 
idolatry  into  the  wilderness,  should  be  compelled  to 
fight  under  its  symbols  here.  Perhaps  he  concluded 
his  address  somewhat  in  the  following  style. 

"  And  now,  fellow  soldiers,  you  see  this  old  banner 
of  England.  Some  of  you,  I  doubt  not,  may  think  it 
treason  for  a  man  to  lay  violent  hands  upon  it.  But 
whether  or  no  it  be  treason  to  man,  I  have  good  as 
surance  in  my  conscience  that  it  is  no  treason  to  God. 
Wherefore,  I  have  resolved  that  we  will  rather  be 
God's  soldiers  than  soldiers  of  the  Pope  of  Home; 
and  in  that  mind  I  now  cut  the  Papal  Cross  out  of 
this  banner." 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  23 

And  so  he  did.  And  thus,  in  a  province  belonging 
to  the  crown  of  England,  a  captain  was  found  bold 
enough  to  deface  the  king's  banner  with  his  sword. 

When  Winthrop  and  the  other  wise  men  of  Massa- 
shusetts  heard  of  it  they  were  disquieted,  being  afraid 
that  Endicott's  act  would  bring  great  trouble  upon 
himself  and  them.  An  account  of  the  matter  was 
carried  to  King  Charles ;  but  he  was  then  so  much 
engrossed  by  dissensions  with  his  people  that  he  had 
no  leisure  to  punish  the  offender.  In  other  times,  it 
might  have  cost  Endicott  his  life,  and  Massachusetts 
her  charter. 


"  I  should  like  to  know,  Grandfather,"  said  Lau 
rence,  when  the  story  was  ended,  "whether,  when 
Endicott  cut  the  red  cross  out  of  the  banner,  he 
meant  to  imply  that  Massachusetts  was  independent 
of  England  ?  " 

"  A  sense  of  the  independence  of  his  adopted  coun 
try  must  have  been  in  that  bold  man's  heart,"  an 
swered  Grandfather  ;  "  but  I  doubt  whether  he  had 
given  the  matter  much  consideration  except  in  its  re 
ligious  bearing.  However,  it  was  a  very  remarkable 
affair,  and  a  very  strong  expression  of  Puritan  char 
acter." 

Grandfather  proceeded  to  speak  further  of  Roger 
"Williams,  and  of  other  persons  who  sat  in  the  great 
chair,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  following  chapter. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"ROGER  WILLIAMS,"  said  Grandfather,  "did  noi 
keep  possession  of  the  chair  a  great  while.  His  opin 
ions  of  civil  and  religious  matters  differed,  in  many 
respects,  from  those  of  the  rulers  and  clergymen  of 
Massachusetts.  Now,  the  wise  men  of  those  days  be 
lieved  that  the  country  could  not  be  safe  unless  all  the 
inhabitants  thought  and  felt  alike." 

"Does  anybody  believe  so  in  our  days,  Grand 
father  ? "  asked  Laurence. 

"  Possibly  there  are  some  who  believe  it,"  said 
Grandfather ;  "  but  they  have  not  so  much  power  to 
act  upon  their  belief  as  the  magistrates  and  ministers 
had  in  the  days  of  Roger  Williams.  They  had  the 
power  to  deprive  this  good  man  of  his  home,  and  to 
send  him  out  from  the  midst  of  them  in  search  of  a 
new  place  of  rest,  lie  was  banished  in  1634,  and 
went  first  to  Plymouth  colony  ;  but  as  the  people  there 
held  the  same  opinions  as  those  of  Massachusetts,  he 
was  not  suffered  to  remain  among  them.  However, 
the  wilderness  was  wide  enough  ;  so  Roger  Williams 
took  his  staff  and  travelled  into  the  forest  and  made 
treaties  with  the  Indians,  and  began  a  plantation  which 
he  called  Providence." 

"  I  have  been  to  Providence  on  the  railroad,"  said 
Charley.  "  It  is  but  a  two  hours'  ride." 

"  Yes,  Charley,"  replied  Grandfather  ;  "  but  when 
Roger  Williams  travelled  thither,  over  hills  and  val- 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  25 

leys,  and  through  the  tangled  woods,  and  across 
swamps  and  streams,  it  was  a  journey  of  several  days. 
Well,  his  little  plantation  is  now  grown  to  be  a  pop 
ulous  city ;  and  the  inhabitants  have  a  great  venera 
tion  for  Eoger  Williams.  Ilis  name  is  familiar  in  the 
mouths  of  all,  because  they  see  it  on  their  bank-bills. 
How  it  would  have  perplexed  this  good  clergyman  if 
he  had  been  told  that  he  should  give  his  name  to  the 
ROGEK  WILLIAMS  BANK  !  " 

"  When  he  was  driven  from  Massachusetts,"  said 
Laurence,  "  and  began  his  journey  into  the  woods,  he 
must  have  felt  as  if  he  were  burying  himself  forever 
from  the  sight  and  knowledge  of  men.  Yet  the  whole 
country  has  now  heard  of  him,  and  will  remember  him 
forever." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Grandfather ;  "  it  often  happens 
that  the  outcasts  of  one  generation  are  those  who  are 
reverenced  as  the  wisest  and  best  of  men  by  the  next. 
The  securest  fame  is  that  which  comes  after  a  man's 
death.  But  let  us  return  to  our  story.  When  Roger 
Williams  was  banished,  he  appears  to  have  given  the 
chair  to  Mrs.  Anne  Ilutchinson.  At  all  events,  it  was 
in  her  possession  in  1637.  She  was  a  very  sharp-wit 
ted  and  well-instructed  lady,  and  was  so  conscious  of 
her  own  wisdom  and  abilities  that  she  thought  it  a 
pity  that  the  world  should  not  have  the  benefit  of 
them.  She  therefore  used  to  hold  lectures  in  Boston 
once  or  twice  a  week,  at  which  most  of  the  women  at 
tended.  Mrs.  Ilutchinson  presided  at  these  meetings, 
sitting  with  great  state  and  dignity  in  Grandfather's 
chair." 

"  Grandfather,  was  it  positively  this  very  chair  ? " 
demanded  Clara,  lay  ing  her  hand  upon  its  carved  elbow. 


26  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

"Why  not,  my  dear  Clara?"  said  Grandfather. 
"  Well,  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  lectures  soon  caused  a  great 
disturbance ;  for  the  ministers  of  Boston  did  not 
think  it  safe  and  proper  that  a  woman  should  publicly 
instruct  the  people  in  religious  doctrines.  Moreover, 
she  made  the  matter  worse  by  declaring  that  the  Rev 
Mr.  Cotton  was  the  only  sincerely  pious  and  holy  cler 
gyman  in  New  England.  Now,  the  clergy  of  those 
days  had  quite  as  much  share  in  the  government  of  the 
country,  though  indirectly,  as  the  magistrates  them 
selves  ;  so  you  may  imagine  what  a  host  of  powerful 
enemies  were  raised  up  against  Mrs.  Hutchinson.  A 
synod  was  convened  ;  that  is  to  say,  an  assemblage  of 
all  the  ministers  in  Massachusetts.  They  declared 
that  there  were  eighty-two  erroneous  opinions  on  re 
ligious  subjects  diffused  among  the  people,  and  that 
Mrs.  Ilutchinson's  opinions  were  of  the  number." 

"  If  they  had  eighty-two  wrong  opinions,"  observed 
Charley,  "  I  don't  see  how  they  could  have  any  right 
ones." 

"  Mrs.  Hutchinson  had  many  zealous  friends  and 
converts,"  continued  Grandfather.  "  She  was  favored 
by  young  Henry  Vane,  who  had  come  over  from 
England  a  year  or  two  before,  and  had  since  been 
chosen  governor  of  the  colony,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four.  But  Winthrop  and  most  of  the  other  leading 
men,  as  well  as  the  ministers,  felt  an  abhorrence  of  her 
doctrines.  Thus  two  opposite  parties  were  formed ; 
and  so  fierce  were  the  dissensions  that  it  was  feared  the 
consequence  would  be  civil  war  and  bloodshed.  But 
Winthrop  and  the  ministers  being  the  most  power 
ful,  they  disarmed  and  imprisoned  Mrs.  Ilutchinson's 
adherents.  She,  like  Roger  Williams,  was  banished," 


GIIANDFATIIEWS   CHAIR.  27 

"  Dear  Grandfather,  did  they  drive  the  poor  wo 
man  into  the  woods  ? "  exclaimed  little  Alice,  who  con 
trived  to  feel  a  human  interest  even  in  these  discords 
of  polemic  divinity. 

u  They  did,  my  darling,"  replied  Grandfather ; 
"  and  the  end  of  her  life  was  so  sad  you  must  not  hear 
it.  At  her  departure,  it  appears,  from  the  best  au 
thorities,  that  she  gave  the  great  chair  to  her  friend 
Henry  Yane.  He  was  a  young  man  of  wonderful 
talents  and  great  learning,  who  had  imbibed  the  reli 
gious  opinions  of  the  Puritans,  and  left  England  with 
the  intention  of  spending  his  life  in  Massachusetts. 
The  people  chose  him  governor ;  but  the  controversy 
about  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  and  other  troubles,  caused  him 
to  leave  the  country  in  1637.  You  may  read  the  sub 
sequent  events  of  his  life  in  the  History  of  England.'' 

"  Yes,  Grandfather,"  cried  Laurence  ;  "  and  we  may 
read  them  better  in  Mr.  Upham's  biography  of  Yane. 
And  what  a  beautiful  death  he  died,  long  afterwards  ! 
beautiful,  though  it  was  on  a  scaffold." 

"  Many  of  the  most  beautiful  deaths  have  been 
there,"  said  Grandfather.  "  The  enemies  of  a  great 
and  good  man  can  in  no  other  way  make  him  so  glo 
rious  as  by  giving  him  the  crown  of  martyrdom." 

In  order  that  the  children  might  fully  understand 
the  all-important  history  of  the  chair,  Grandfather 
now  thought  fit  to  speak  of  the  progress  that  was  made 
in  settling  several  colonies.  The  settlement  of  Ply 
mouth,  in  1620,  has  already  been  mentioned.  In  1635 
Mr.  Hooker  and  Mr.  Stone,  two  ministers,  went  on 
foot  from  Massachusetts  to  Connecticut,  through  the 
path  jess  woods,  taking  their  whole  congregation  along 
with  them.  They  founded  the  town  of  Hartford.  In 


28  GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR. 

1638  Mr.  Davenport,  a  very  celebrated  minister, 
went  with  other  people,  and  began  a  plantation  at  New 
Haven.  In  the  same  year,  some  persons  who  had 
been  persecuted  in  Massachusetts  went  to  the  Isle  of 
Rhodes,  since  called  Rhode  Island,  and  settled  there. 
About  this  time,  also,  many  settlers  had  gone  to 
Maine,  and  were  living  without  any  regular  govern 
ment.  There  were  likewise  settlers  near  Piscataqua 
'River,  in  the  region  which  is  now  called  New  Hamp 
shire. 

Thus,  at  various  points  along  the  coast  of  New 
England,  there  were  communities  of  Englishmen. 
Though  these  communities  were  independent  of  one 
another,  yet  they  had  a  common  dependence  upon 
England  ;  and,  at  so  vast  a  distance  from  their  native 
home,  the  inhabitants  must  all  have  felt  like  brethren. 
They  were  fitted  to  become  one  united  people  at  a 
future  period.  Perhaps  their  feelings  of  brother 
hood  were  the  stronger  because  different  nations  had 
formed  settlements  to  the  north  and  to  the  south. 
In  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia  were  colonies  of  French. 
On  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  River  was  a  colony  of 
Dutch,  who  had  taken  possession  of  that  region  many 
years  before,  and  called  it  New  Netherlands. 

Grandfather,  for  aught  I  know,  might  have  gone 
on  to  speak  of  Maryland  and  Virginia ;  for  the  good 
old  gentleman  really  seemed  to  suppose  that  the 
whole  surface  of  the  United  States  was  not  too  broad 
a  foundation  to  place  the  four  legs  of  his  chair  upon. 
But,  happening  to  glance  at  Charley,  he  perceived 
that  this  naughty  boy  was  growing  impatient  and 
meditating  another  ride  upon  a  stick.  So  here,  for  the 
present,  Grandfather  suspended  the  history  of  his  chair. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  children  had  now  learned  to  look  upon  the 
chair  with  an  interest  which  was  almost  the  same  as 
if  it  were  a  conscious  being,  and  could  remember  the 
many  famous  people  whom  it  had  held  within  its 
arms. 

Even  Charley,  lawless  as  he  was,  seemed  to  feel 
that  this  venerable  chair  must  not  be  clambered  upon 
nor  overturned,  although  he  had  no  scruple  in  taking 
such  liberties  with  every  other  chair  in  the  house. 
Clara  treated  it  with  still  greater  reverence,  often 
taking  occasion  to  smooth  its  cushion,  and  to  brush 
the  dust  from  the  carved  flowers  and  grotesque  figures 
of  its  oaken  back  and  arms.  Laurence  would  some 
times  sit  a  whole  hour,  especially  at  twilight,  gazing 
at  the  chair,  and,  by  the  spell  of  his  imaginations, 
summoning  up  its  ancient  occupants  to  appear  in  it 
again. 

Little  Alice  evidently  employed  herself  in  a  similai 
way ;  for  once  when  Grandfather  had  gone  abroad, 
the  child  was  heard  talking  with  the  gentle  Lady 
Arbella,  as  if  she  were  still  sitting  in  the  chair.  So 
sweet  a  child  as  little  Alice  may  fitly  talk  with  angels, 
such  as  the  Lady  Arbella  had  long  since  become. 

Grandfather  was  soon  importuned  for  more  stories 
about  the  chair.  He  had  no  difficulty  in  relating 
them  ;  for  it  really  seemed  as  if  every  person  noted 
in  our  early  history  had,  on  some  occasion  or  other. 


30  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

found  repose  within  its  comfortable  arms.  If  Grand 
father  took  pride  in  anything,  it  was  in  being  the 
possessor  of  such  an  honorable  and  historic  elbow 
chair. 

"  I  know  not  precisely  who  next  got  possession  of 
the  chair  after  Governor  Vane  went  back  to  Eng 
land,"  said  Grandfather.  "  But  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that  President  Dunster  sat  in  it,  when  he  held 
the  first  Commencement  at  Harvard  College.  You 
have  often  heard,  children,  how  careful  our  fore 
fathers  were  to  give  their  young  people  a  good  edu 
cation.  They  had  scarcely  cut  down  trees  enough  to 
make  room  for  their  own  dwellings  before  they  began 
to  think  of  establishing  a  college.  Their  principal 
object  was,  to  rear  up  pious  and  learned  ministers ; 
and  hence  old  writers  call  Harvard  College  a  school 
of  the  prophets." 

"  Is  the  college  a  school  of  the  prophets  now  ?  " 
asked  Charley. 

"  It  is  a  long  while  since  I  took  my  degree,  Char 
ley.  You  must  ask  some  of  the  recent  graduates," 
answered  Grandfather.  "  As  I  was  telling  you, 
President  Dunster  sat  in  Grandfather's  chair  in  1642, 
when  he  conferred  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts  on 
nine  young  men.  They  were  the  first  in  America 
who  had  received  that  honor.  And  now,  my  dear 
auditors,  I  must  confess  that  there  are  contradictory 
statements  and  some  uncertainty  about  the  adventures 
of  the  chair  for  a  period  of  almost  ten  years.  Some 
say  that  it  was  occupied  by  your  own  ancestor, 
William  Hawthorne,  first  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives.  I  have  nearly  satisfied  myself, 
however,  that,  during  most  of  this  questionable 


GRANDFATHER'S  CIIAIR.  31 

period,  it  was  literally  the  Chair  of  State.  It  gives 
me  much  pleasure  to  imagine  that  several  successive 
governors  of  Massachusetts  sat  in  it  at  the  council 
board." 

"  But,  Grandfather,"  interposed  Charley,  who  was 
A  matter-of-fact  little  person,  "  what  reason  have  you 
to  imagine  so  ?  " 

"  Pray  do  imagine  it,  Grandfather,"  said  Laurence. 

"  With  Charley's  permission,  I  will,"  replied  Grand 
father,  smiling.  "  Let  us  consider  it  settled,  there 
fore,  that  Winthrop,  Bellingham,  Dudley,  and  Endi- 
cott,  each  of  them,  when  chosen  governor,  took  his 
seat  in  our  great  chair  on  election  day.  In  this  chair, 
likewise,  did  those  excellent  governors  preside  while 
holding  consultations  with  the  chief  counsellors  of 
the  province,  who  were  styled  assistants.  The  gover 
nor  sat  in  this  chair,  too,  whenever  messages  were 
brought  to  him  from  the  chamber  of  Representa 
tives." 

And  here  Grandfather  took  occasion  to  talk  rather 
tediously  about  the  nature  and  forms  of  government 
that  established  themselves,  almost  spontaneously,  in 
Massachusetts  and  the  other  New  England  colonies. 
Democracies  were  the  natural  growth  of  the  New 
World.  As  to  Massachusetts,  it  was  at  first  intended 
that  the  colony  should  be  governed  by  a  council  in 
London.  But  in  a  little  while  the  people  had  the 
whole  power  in  their  own  hands,  and  chose  annually 
the  governor,  the  counsellors,  and  the  representatives. 
The  people  of  old  England  had  never  enjoyed  any 
thing  like  the  liberties  and  privileges  which  the  set 
tlers*  of  New  England  now  possessed.  And  they  did 
not  adopt  these  modes  of  government  after  long  study, 


32  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

but  in  simplicity,  as  if  there  were  no  other  way  for 
people  to  be  ruled. 

"  But,  Laurence,"  continued  Grandfather,  "  when 
you  want  instruction  on  these  points,  you  must  seek 
it  in  Mr.  Bancroft's  History.  I  am  merely  telling 
the  history  of  a  chair.  To  proceed.  The  period  dur 
ing  which  the  governors  sat  in  our  chair  was  not  very 
full  of  striking  incidents.  The  province  was  now  es 
tablished  on  a  secure  foundation  ;  but  it  did  not  in 
crease  so  rapidly  as  at  first,  because  the  Puritans  were 
no  longer  driven  from  England  by  persecution.  How 
ever,  there  was  still  a  quiet  and  natural  growth.  The 
legislature  incorporated  towns,  and  made  new  pur 
chases  of  lands  from  the  Indians.  A  very  memorable 
event  took  place  in  164:3.  The  colonies  of  Massachu 
setts,  Plymouth,  Connecticut,  and  New  Haven  formed 
a  union,  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  each  other  in 
difficulties,  for  mutual  defence  against  their  enemies. 
They  called  themselves  the  United  Colonies  of  New 
England." 

"  Were  they  under  a  government  like  that  of  the 
United  States  ?  "  inquired  Laurence. 

"  No,"  replied  Grandfather ;  "  the  different  col 
onies  did  not  compose  one  nation  together ;  it  was 
merely  a  confederacy  among  the  governments.  It 
somewhat  resembled  the  league  of  the  Arnphictyons. 
which  you  remember  in  Grecian  history.  But  to  re 
turn  to  our  chair.  In  1644  it  was  highly  honored  ; 
for  Governor  Endicott  sat  in  it  when  he  gave  audi 
ence  to  an  ambassador  from  the  French  governor  of 
Acadie,  or  Xova  Scotia.  A  treaty  of  peace  between 
Massachusetts  and  the  French  colony  was  then 
signed." 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR  33 

"Did  England  allow  Massachusetts  to  make  wai 
and  peace  with  foreign  countries  ? "  asked  Laurence. 

"  Massachusetts  and  the  whole  of  New  England 
was  then  almost  independent  of  the  mother  country," 
said  Grandfather.  "  There  was  now  a  civil  war  in 
England  ;  and  the  king,  as  you  may  well  suppose,  had 
his  hands  full  at  home,  and  could  pay  but  little  atten 
tion  to  these  remote  colonies.  When  the  Parliament 
got  the  power  into  their  hands,  they  likewise  had 
enough  to  do  in  keeping  down  the  Cavaliers.  Thus 
NQW  England,  like  a  young  and  hardy  lad  whose 
father  and  mother  neglect  it,  was  left  to  take  care  of 
itself.  In  1649  King  Charles  was  beheaded.  Oliver 
Cromwell  then  became  Protector  of  England  ;  and 
as  he  was  a  Puritan  himself,  and  had  risen  by  the 
valor  of  the  English  Puritans,  he  showed  himself  a 
loving  and  indulgent  father  to  the  Puritan  colonies 
in  America." 

Grandfather  might  have  continued  to  talk  in  this 
dull  manner  nobody  knows  how  long;  but  suspecting 
that  Charley  would  find  the  subject  rather  dry,  ho 
looked  sidewise  at  that  vivacious  little  fellow,  and  saw 
him  give  an  involuntary  yawn.  Whereupon  Grand 
father  proceeded  with  the  history  of  the  chair,  and 
related  a  very  entertaining  incident,  which  will  be 
found  in  the  next  chapter. 

8 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"ACCORDING  to  the  most  authentic  records,  my  dear 
children,"  said  Grandfather,  "  the  chair,  about  this 
time,  had  the  misfortune  to  break  its  leg.  It  was 
probably  on  account  of  this  accident  that  it  ceased  to 
be  the  seat  of  the  governors  of  Massachusetts  ;  for,  as 
suredly,  it  would  have  been  ominous  of  evil  to  the 
commonwealth  if  the  Chair  of  State  had  tottered  upon 
three  legs.  Being  therefore  sold  at  auction, — alas ! 
what  a  vicissitude  for  a  chair  that  had  figured  in  such 
high  company — our  venerable  friend  was  knocked 
down  to  a  certain  Captain  John  Hull.  The  old  gen 
tleman,  on  carefully  examining  the  named  chair,  dis 
covered  that  its  broken  leg  might  be  clamped  with 
iron  and  made  as  serviceable  as  ever." 

"  Here  is  the  very  leg  that  was  broken  !  "  exclaimed 
Charley,  throwing  himself  down  on  the  floor  to  look 
at  it.  "  And  here  are  the  iron  clamps.  How  well  it 
was  mended  ! " 

When  they  had  all  sufficiently  examined  the  broken 
leg,  Grandfather  told  them  a  story  about  Captain 
John  Hull  and 

THE    PINE-TKEE    SHILLINGS. 

The  Captain  John  Hull  aforesaid  was  the  mint-mas 
ter  of  Massachusetts,  and  coined  all  the  money  that 
was  made  there.  This  was  a  new  line  of  business ; 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  35 

for,  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  colony,  the  current  coin 
age  consisted  of  gold  and  silver  money  of  England, 
Portugal,  and  Spain.  These  coins  being  scarce,  the 
people  were  often  forced  to  barter  their  commodities 
instead  of  selling  them. 

For  instance,  if  a  man  wanted  to  buy  a  coat,  he  per 
haps  exchanged  a  bear-skin  for  it.  If  he  wished  for 
a  barrel  of  molasses,  he  might  purchase  it  with  a  pile 
of  pine  boards.  Musket-bullets  were  used  instead  of 
farthings.  The  Indians  had  a  sort  of  money,  called 
wampun,  which  was  made  of  clam-shells ;  and  this 
strange  sort  of  specie  was  likewise  taken  in  payment 
of  debts  by  the  English  settlers.  Bank-bills  had  never 
been  heard  of.  There  was  not  money  enough  of  any 
kind,  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  to  pay  the  salaries 
of  the  ministers  ;  so  that  they  sometimes  had  to  take 
quintals  of  fish,  bushels  of  corn,  or  cords  of  wood,  in 
stead  of  silver  or  gold. 

As  the  people  grew  more  numerous,  and  their  trade 
one  with  another  increased,  the  want  of  current  money 
was  still  more  sensibly  felt.  To  supply  the  demand, 
the  general  court  passed  a  Jaw  for  establishing  a  coin 
age  of  shillings,  sixpences,  and  threepences.  Captain 
John  Hull  was  appointed  to  manufacture  this  money, 
and  was  to  have  about  one  shilling  out  of  every 
twenty  to  pay  him  for  the  trouble  of  making  them. 

Hereupon  all  the  old  silver  in  the  colony  was 
handed  over  to  Captain  John  Hull.  The  battered 
silver  cans  and  tankards,  I  suppose,  and  silver  buckles, 
and  broken  spoons,  and  silver  buttons  of  worn-out 
coats,  and  silver  hilts  of  swords  that  had  figured  at 
court,  all  such  curious  old  articles  were  doubtless 
thrown  into  the  melting-pot  together.  But  by  far 


36  GllANDFATIIEH'S  CHAIR. 

the  greater  part  of  the  silver  consisted  of  bullion  from 
tlie  mines  of  South  America,  which  the  English  buc- 
caniers  (who  were  little  better  than  pirates)  had  taken 
from  the  Spaniards,  and  brought  to  Massachusetts. 

All  this  old  and  new  silver  being  melted  down  and 
coined,  the  result  was  an  immense  amount  of  splendid 
shillings,  sixpences,  and  threepences.  Each  had  the 
date,  1652,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  figure  of  a  pine- 
tree  on  the  other.  Uence  they,  were  called  pine-tree 
shillings.  And  for  every  twenty  shillings  that  he 
coined,  you  will  remember,  Captain  John  Hull  was 
entitled  to  put  one  shilling  into  his  own  pocket. 

The  magistrates  soon  began  to  suspect  that  the  mint- 
master  would  have  the  best  of  the  bargain.  They  of 
fered  him  a  large  sum  of  money  if  he  would  but  give 
up  that  twentieth  shilling  which  he  was1  continually 
dropping  into  his  own  pocket.  But  Captain  Hull  de 
clared  himself  perfectly  satish'ed  with  the  shilling. 
And  well  he  might  be  ;  for  so  diligently  did  he  labor 
that,  in  a  few  years,  his  pockets,  his  money-bags,  and 
his  strong  box  were  overflowing  with  pine  tree  shil 
lings.  This  was  probably  the  case  when  he  came  into 
possession  of  Grandfather's  chair;  and,  as  he  had 
worked  so  hard  at  the  mint,  it  was  certainly  proper 
that  he  should  have  a  comfortable  chair  to  rest  him 
self  in. 

When  the  mint-master  had  grown  very  rich,  a  young 
man,  Samuel  Sewell  by  name,  came  a  courting  to  his 
only  daughter.  His  daughter — whose  name  I  do  not 
know,  but  we  will  call  her  Betsey — was  a  fine,  hearty 
damsel,  by  no  means  so  slender  as  some  young  ladies 
of  our  own  days.  On  the  contrary,  having  always  fed 
heartily  on  pumpkin  pies,  doughnuts,  Indian  puddings, 


GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR.  37 

and  other  Puritan  dainties,  she  was  as  round  and 
plump  as  a  pudding  herself.  With  this  round,  rosy 
Miss  Betsey  did  Samuel  Sewell  fall  in  love.  As  ho 
was  a  young  man  of  good  character,  industrious  in  his 
business,  and  a  member  of  the  church,  the  mint-master 
very  readily  gave  his  consent. 

"  Yes — you  may  take  her,"  said  he  in  his  rough  way, 
"  and  you'll  find  her  a  heavy  burden  enough ! " 

On  the  wedding  day,  we  may  suppose  that  honest 
John  Hull  dressed  himself  in  a  plum-colored  coat,  all 
the  buttons  of  which  were  made  of  pine-tree  shillings. 
The  buttons  of  his  waistcoat  were  sixpences ;  and  the 
knees  of  his  small-clothes  were  buttoned  with  silver 
threepences.  Thus  attired,  he  sat  with  great  dignity 
in  Grandfather's  chair ;  and,  being  a  portly  old  gentle 
man,  he  completely  filled  it  from  elbow  to  elbow.  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  between  her  bridemaids 
sat  Miss  Betsey.  She  was  blushing  with  all  her  might, 
and  looked  like  a  full  blown  paeony,  or  a  great  red 
apple. 

There,  too,  was  the  bridegroom,  dressed  in  a  fine 
purple  coat  and  gold  lace  waistcoat,  with  as  much  other 
finery  as  the  Puritan  laws  and  customs  would  allow 
him  to  pnt  on.  His  hair  was  cropped  close  to  his 
head,  because  Governor  Endicott  had  forbidden  any 
man  to  wear  it  below  the  ears.  But  he  was  a  very 
personable  young  man  ;  and  so  thought  the  bridemaids 
and  Miss  Betsey  herself. 

The  mint-master  also  was  pleased  with  his  new  son- 
in-law  ;  especially  as  he  had  courted  Miss  Betsey  out 
of  pure  love,  and  had  said  nothing  at  all  about  her 
portion.  So,  when  the  marriage  ceremony  was  over, 
Captain  Hull  whispered  a  word  to  two  of  his  men-ser- 


38  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

vants,  who  immediately  went  out,  and  soon  returned, 
lugging  in  a  large  pair  of  scales.  They  were  such  a 
pair  as  wholesale  merchants  use  for  weighing  bulky 
commodities ;  and  quite  a  bulky  commodity  was  now 
to  be  weighed  in  them. 

"  Daughter  Betsey,"  said  the  mint-master,  "  get 
into  one  side  of  these  scales." 

Miss  Betsey — or  Mrs.  Sewell,  as  we  must  now  call 
her — did  as  she  was  bid,  like  a  dutiful  child,  without 
any  question  of  the  why  and  wherefore.  But  what 
her  father  could  mean,  unless  to  make  her  husband 
pay  for  her  by  the  pound  (in  which  case  she  would 
have  been  a  dear  bargain),  she  had  not  the  least 
idea. 

"  And  now,"  said  honest  John  Hull  to  the  servants, 
"  bring  that  box  hither." 

The  box  r\>  which  the  mint-master  pointed  was  a 
huge,  square,  iron  bound,  oaken  chest ;  it  was  big 
enough,  my  children,  for  all  four  of  you  to  play  at 
hide-and-seek  in.  The  servants  tugged  with  might 
and  main,  but  could  not  lift  this  enormous  receptacle, 
and  were  finally  obliged  to  drag  it  across  the  floor. 
Captain  Hull  then  took  a  key  from  his  girdle,  un 
locked  the  chest,  and  lifted  its  ponderous  lid.  Be 
hold  !  it  was  full  to  the  brim  of  bright  pine-tree  shil 
lings,  fresh  from  the  mint ;  and  Samuel  Sewell  began 
to  think  that  his  father-in-law  had  got  possession  of 
all  the  money  in  the  Massachusetts  treasury.  But  it 
was  only  the  mint-master's  honest  share  of  the  coin- 


Then  the  servants,  at  Captain  Hull's  command, 
heaped  double  Landfills  of  shillings  into  one  side  of 
the  scales,  while  Betsey  remained  in  the  other.  Jin- 


GRANDFATHER 8  CHAtti.  BO 

gle,  jingle,  went  the  shillings,  as  handful  after  hand 
ful  was  thrown  in,  till,  plump  and  ponderous  as  she 
was,  they  fairly  weighed  the  young  lady  from  the 
floor. 

"  There,  son  Sewell !  "  cried  the  honest  mint-mas 
ter,  resuming  his  seat  in  Grandfather's  chair.  "  Take 
these  shillings  for  my  daughter's  portion.  Use  her 
kindly,  and  thank  Heaven  for  her.  It  is  not  every 
wife  that's  worth  her  weight  in  silver  !  " 


The  children  laughed  heartily  at  this  legend,  and 
would  hardly  be  convinced  but  that  Grandfather  had 
made  it  out  of  his  own  head.  He  assured  them  faith 
fully,  however,  that  he  had  found  it  in  the  pages  of  a 
grave  historian,  and  had  merely  tried  to  tell  it  in  a 
somewhat  funnier  style.  As  for  Samuel  Sewell,  he 
afterwards  became  Chief  Justice  of  Massachusetts. 

"Well,  Grandfather,"  remarked  Clara,  "if  wed 
ding  portions  now-a-days  were  paid  as  Miss  Betsey's 
was,  young  ladies  would  not  pride  themselves  upon  an 
airy  figure,  as  many  of  them  do." 


CIIAPTEE  VII. 

WHEN  his  little  audience  next  assembled  round  the 
chair,  Grandfather  gave  them  a  doleful  history  of  the 
Quaker  persecution,  which  began  in  1656,  and  raged 
for  about  three  years  in  Massachusetts. 

He  told  them  how,  in  the  first  place,  twelve  of  the 
converts  of  George  Fox,  the  first  Quaker  in  the  world, 
had  come  over  from  England.  They  seemed  to  be  im 
pelled  by  an  earnest  love  for  the  souls  of  men,  and 
a  pure  desire  to  make  known  what  they  considered  a 
revelation  from  Heaven.  But  the  rulers  looked  upon 
them  as  plotting  the  downfall  of  all  government  and 
religion.  They  were  banished  from  the  colony.  In 
a  little  while,  however,  not  only  the  first  twelve  had 
returned,  but  a  multitude  of  other  Quakers  had  come 
to  rebuke  the  rulers  and  to  preach  against  the  priests 
and  steeple-houses. 

Grandfather  described  the  hatred  and  scorn  with 
which  these  enthusiasts  were  received.  They  were 
thrown  into  dungeons  ;  they  were  beaten  with  many 
stripes,  women  as  well  as  men  ;  they  were  driven 
forth  into  the  wilderness,  and  left  to  the  tender  mer 
cies  of  wild  beasts  and  Indians.  The  children  were 
amazed  to  hear  that  the  more  the  Quakers  were 
scourged,  and  imprisoned,  and  banished,  the  more  did 
the  sect  increase,  both  by  the  influx  of  strangers  and 
by  converts  from  among  the  Puritans.  But  Grand 
father  told  them  that  God  had  put  something  into 


GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR.  41 

the  soul  of  man,  which  always  turned  the  cruelties  of 
the  persecutor  to  nought. 

He  went  on  to  relate  that,  in  1659,  two  Quakers, 
named  William  Robinson  and  Marmaduke  Stephen- 
son,  were  hanged  at  Boston.  A  woman  had  been 
sentenced  to  die  with  them,  but  was  reprieved  on 
condition  of  her  leaving  the  colony.  Her  name  was 
Mary  Dyer.  In  the  year  1660  she  returned  to  Bos 
ton,  although  she  knew  death  awaited  her  there;  and, 
if  Grandfather  had  been  correctly  informed,  an  inci 
dent  had  then  taken  place  which  connects  her  with 
our  story.  This  Mary  Dyer  had  entered  the  mint- 
master's  dwelling,  clothed  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  and 
seated  herself  in  our  great  chair  with  a  sort  of  dignity 
and  state.  Then  she  proceeded  to  deliver  what  she 
called  a  message  from  Heaven,  but  in  the  midst  of  it 
they  dragged  her  to  prison. 

"  And  was  she  executed  ?  "  asked  Laurence. 

"  She  was,"  said  Grandfather. 

"  Grandfather,"  cried  Charley,  clinching  his  fist, 
"  I  would  have  fought  for  that  poor  Quaker  woman  !  " 

"  Ah !  but  if  a  sword  had  been  drawn  for  her," 
said  Laurence,  "it  would  have  taken  away  all  the 
beauty  of  her  death." 

It  seemed  as  if  hardly  any  of  the  preceding  stories 
had  thrown  such  an  interest  around  Grandfather's 
chair  as  did  the  fact  that  the  poor,  persecuted,  wander 
ing  Quaker  woman  had  rested  in  it  for  a  moment. 
The  children  were  so  much  excited  that  Grandfather 
found  it  necessary  to  bring  his  account  of  the  perse 
cution  to  a  close. 

"  In  1660,  the  same  year  in  which  Mary  Dyer  was 
executed,"  said  he,  "  Charles  the  Second  was  restored 


42  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR 

to  the  throne  of  his  fathers.  This  king  had  marry 
vices  ;  but  he  would  not  permit  blood  to  be  shed, 
under  pretence  of  religion,  in  any  part  of  his  domin 
ions.  The  Quakers  in  England  told  him  what  had 
been  done  to  their  brethren  in  Massachusetts  ;  and  he 
sent  orders  to  Governor  Endicott  to  forbear  all  such 
proceedings  in  future.  And  so  ended  the  Quaker 
persecution, — one  of  the  most  mournful  passages  in 
the  history  of  our  forefathers." 

Grandfather  then  told  his  auditors,  that,  shortly 
after  the  above  incident,  the  great  chair  had  been 
given  by  the  mint-master  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Eliot. 
He  was  the  first  minister  of  Roxbury.  But  besides 
attending  to  the  pastoral  duties  there,  he  learned  the 
language  of  the  red  men,  and  often  went  into  the 
woods  to  preach  to  them.  So  earnestly  did  he  labor 
for  their  conversion  that  he  has  always  been  called 
the  apostle  to  the  Indians.  The  mention  of  this  holy 
man  suggested  to  Grandfather  the  propriety  of  giving 
a  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  the  Indians,  so  far  as 
they  were  connected  with  the  English  colonists. 

A  short  period  before  the  arrival  of  the  first  Pil 
grims  at  Plymouth  there  had  been  a  very  grievous 
plague  among  the  red  men  ;  and  the  sages  and  minis 
ters  of  that  day  were  inclined  to  the  opinion  that 
Providence  had  sent  this  mortality  in  order  to  make 
room  for  the  settlement  of  the  English.  But  I  know 
not  why  we  should  suppose  that  an  Indian's  life  is 
less  precious,  in  the  eye  of  Heaven,  than  that  of  a 
white  man.  Be  that  as  it  may,  death  had  certainly 
been  very  busy  with  the  savage  tribes. 

In  many  places  the  English  found  the  wigwams  de 
serted  and  the  corn-fields  growing  to  waste,  writh  none 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  43 

to  harvest  the  grain.  There  were  heaps  of  earth  also, 
which,  being  dug  open,  proved  to  be  Indian  graves, 
containing  bows  and  flint-headed  spears  and  arrows ; 
for  the  Indians  buried  the  dead  warrior's  weapons 
along  with  him.  In  some  spots  there  were  skulls  and 
other  human  bones  lying  unburied.  In  1633,  and  the 
year  afterwards,  the  smallpox  broke  out  among  the 
Massachusetts  Indians,  multitudes  of  whom  died  by 
this  terrible  disease  of  the  old  world.  These  mis 
fortunes  made  them  far  less  powerful  than  they  had 
formerly  been. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  after  the  arrival  of  the 
English  the  red  men  showed  themselves  generally  in 
clined  to  peace  and  amity.  They  often  made  submis 
sion  when  they  might  have  made  successful  war. 
The  Plymouth  settlers,  led  by  the  famous  Captain 
Miles  Standish,  slew  some  of  them,  in  1623,  without 
any  very  evident  necessity  for  so  doing.  In  1636, 
and  the  following  year,  there  was  the  most  dreadful 
war  that  had  yet  occurred  between  the  Indians  and 
the  English.  The  Connecticut  settlers,  assisted  by  a 
celebrated  Indian  chief  named  Uncas,  bore  the  brunt 
of  this  war,  with  but  little  aid  from  Massachusetts. 
Many  hundreds  of  the  hostile  Indians  were  slain  or 
burnt  in  their  wigwams.  Sassacus,  their  sachem, 
fled  to  another  tribe,  after  his  own  people  were  de 
feated  ;  but  he  was  murdered  by  them,  and  his  head 
was  sent  to  his  English  enemies. 

From  that  period  down  to  the  time  of  King  Philip's 
war,  which  will  be  mentioned  hereafter,  there  was 
not  much  trouble  with  the  Indians.  But  the  colonists 
were  always  on  their  guard,  and  kept  their  weapons 
ready  for  the  conflict. 


44  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

"I  have  sometimes  doubted,"  said  Grandfather, 
when  he  had  told  these  things  to  the  children,  "  I 
have  sometimes  doubted  whether  there  was  more 
tli an  a  single  man  among  our  forefathers,  who  real 
ized  that  an  Indian  possesses  a  mind,  and  a  heart,  and 
an  immortal  soul.  That  single  man  was  John  Eliot. 
All  the  rest  of  the  early  settlers  seemed  to  think  that 
the  Indians  were  an  inferior  race  of  beings,  whom  the 
Creator  had  merely  allowed  to  keep  possession  of  this 
beautiful  country  till  the  white  men  should  be  in 
want  of  it." 

"  Did  the  pious  men  of  those  days  never  try  to 
make  Christians  of  them  ?  "  asked  Laurence. 

"  Sometimes,  it  is  true,"  answered  Grandfather, 
"  the  magistrates  and  ministers  would  talk  about  civil 
izing  and  converting  the  red  people.  But,  at  the 
bottom  of  their  hearts,  they  would  have  had  almost 
as  much  expectation  of  civilizing  the  wild  bear  of  the 
woods  and  making  him  fit  for  paradise.  They  felt  no 
faith  in  the  success  of  any  such  attempts,  because  they 
had  no  love  for  the  poor  Indians.  Now,  Eliot  was 
full  of  love  for  them  ;  and  therefore  so  full  of  faith 
and  hope  that  he  spent  the  labor  of  a  lifetime  in  their 
behalf." 

"  I  would  have  conquered  them  first,  and  then  con 
verted  them,"  said  Charlie. 

"Ah,  Charlie,  there  spoke  the  very  spirit  of  our 
forefathers  !  "  replied  Grandfather.  "  But  Mr.  Eliot 
had  a  better  spirit.  lie  looked  upon  them  as  his 
brethren.  He  persuaded  as  many  of  them  as  he  could 
to  leave  off  their  idle  and  wandering  habits,  and  to 
build  houses  and  cultivate  the  earth,  as  the  English 
did.  He  established  schools  among  them  and  taught 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  45 

many  of  the  Indians  how  to  read.  He  taught  them, 
likewise,  how  to  pray.  Hence  they  were  called  '  pray 
ing  Indians.'  Finally,  having  spent  the  best  years  of 
his  life  for  their  good,  Mr.  Eliot  resolved  to  spend  the 
remainder  in  doing  them  a  yet  greater  benefit." 

"  I  know  what  that  was !  "  cried  Laurence. 

"  lie  sat  down  in  his  stndy,".continued  Grandfather, 
"  and  began  a  translation  of  the  Bible  into  the  Indian 
tongue.  It  was  while  he  was  engaged  in  this  pions 
work  that  the  mint-master  gave  him  our  great  chair. 
His  toil  needed  it  and  deserved  it." 

"  O  Grandfather,  tell  us  all  about  that  Indian 
Bible  !  "  exclaimed  Laurence.  "  I  have  seen  it  in  the 
library  of  the  Athenaeum ;  and  the  tears  came  into 
my  eyes  to  think  that  there  were  no  Indians  left  to 
read  it." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

As  Grandfather  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  Apostle 
Eliot,  he  was  glad  to  comply  with  the  earnest  request 
which  Laurence  had  made  at  the  close  of  the  last 
chapter.  So  he  proceeded  to  describe  how  good  Mr. 
Eliot  labored,  while  he  wras  at  work  upon 

THE  INDIAN  BIBLE. 

My  dear  children,  what  a  task  wrould  you  think  it, 
even  with  a  long  lifetime  before  you,  were  you  bidden 
to  copy  every  chapter,  and  verse,  and  word  in  yonder 
family  Bible  !  Would  not  this  be  a  heavy  toil  ?  But 
if  the  task  were,  not  to  write  off  the  English  Bible,  but 
to  learn  a  language  utterly  unlike  all  other  tongues, 
—a  language  which  hitherto  had  never  been  learned, 
except  by  the  Indians  themselves,  from  their  mothers' 
lips, — a  language  never  written,  and  the  strange 
words  of  which  seemed  inexpressible  by  letters  ; — it 
the  task  were,  first  to  learn  this  new  variety  of  speech, 
and  then  to  translate  the  Bible  into  it,  and  to  do  it  so 
carefully  that  not  one  idea  throughout  the  holy  book 
should  be  changed, — what  would  induce  you  to  un 
dertake  this  toil  ?  Yet  this  was  what  the  Apostle  Eliot 
did. 

It  was  a  mighty  work  for  a  man,  now  growing  old, 
to  take  upon  himself.  And  what  earthly  reward  could 
he  expect  from  it  ?  None  ;  no  reward  on  earth.  But 
he  believed  that  the  red  men  were  the  descendants  of 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  47 

those  lost  tribes  of  Israel  of  whom  history  has  been 
able  to  tell  us  nothing  for  thousands  of  years.  He 
hoped  that  God  had  sent  the  English  across  the  ocean, 
Gentiles  as  they  were,  to  enlighten  this  benighted  por 
tion  of  his  once  chosen  race.  And  when  he  should  be 
summoned  hence,  he  trusted  to  meet  blessed  spirits 
in  another  world,  whose  bliss  would  have  been  earned 
by  his  patient  toil  in  translating  the  Word  of  God. 
This  hope  and  trust  were  far  dearer  to  him  than  any 
thing  that  earth  could  offer. 

Sometimes,  while  thus  at  work,  he  was  visited  by 
learned  men,  who  desired  to  know  what  literary  un 
dertaking  Mr.  Eliot  had  in  hand.  They,  like  him 
self,  had  been  bred  in  the  studious  cloisters  of  a  uni 
versity,  and  were  supposed  to  possess  all  the  erudition 
which  mankind  has  hoarded  up  from  age  to  age. 
Greek  and  Latin  were  as  familiar  to  them  as  the  bab 
ble  of  their  childhood.  Hebrew  was  like  their  mother 
tongue.  They  had  grown  gray  in  study ;  their  eyes 
were  bleared  with  poring  over  print  and  manuscript 
by  the  light  of  the  midnight  lamp. 

And  yet,  how  much  had  they  left  unlearned !  Mr. 
Eliot  would  put  into  their  hands  some  of  the  pages 
which  he  had  been  writing;  and  behold!  the  gray 
headed  men  stammered  over  the  long,  strange  words, 
like  a  little  child  in  his  first  attemps  to  read.  Then 
would  the  apostle  call  to  him  an  Indian  boy,  one  of 
his  scholars,  and  show  him  the  manuscript  which  had 
so  puzzled  the  learned  Englishmen. 

"  Read  this,  my  child,"  said  he  ;  "  these  are  some 
brethren  of  mine,  who  would  fain  hear  the  sound  of 
thy  native  tongue." 

Then  would  the  Indian  boy  cast  his  eyes  over  the 


4:8  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

mysterious  page,  and  read  it  so  skilfully  that  it  sounded 
like  wild  music.  It  seemed  as  if  the  forest  leaves  were 
singing  in  the  ears  of  his  auditors,  and  as  if  the  roar 
of  distant  streams  were  poured  through  the  young 
Indian's  voice.  Such  were  the  sounds  amid  which  the 
language  of  the  red  men  had  been  formed ;  and  they 
were  still  heard  to  echo  in  it. 

The  lesson  being  over,  Mr.  Eliot  would  give  the  In 
dian  boy  an  apple  or  a  cake,  and  bid  him  leap  forth 
into  the  open  air  which  his  free  nature  loved.  The 
apostle  was  kind  to  children,  and  even  shared  in  their 
sports  sometimes.  And  when  his  visitors  had  bidden 
him  farewell,  the  good  man  turned  patiently  to  his 
toil  again. 

~No  other  Englishman  had  ever  understood  the  In 
dian  character  so  well,  nor  possessed  so  great  an  influ 
ence  over  the  New  England  tribes,  as  the  apostle  did. 
His  advice  and  assistance  must  often  have  been  valu 
able  to  his  countrymen,  in  their  transactions  with  the 
Indians.  Occasionally,  perhaps,  the  governor  and  some 
of  the  counsellors  came  to  visit  Mr.  Eliot.  Perchance 
they  were  seeking  some  method  to  circumvent  the 
forest  people.  They  inquired,  it  may  be,  how  they 
could  obtain  possession  of  such  and  such  a  tract  of 
their  rich  land.  Or  they  talked  of  making  the  In 
dians  their  servants,  as  if  God  had  destined  them  for 
perpetual  bondage  to  the  more  powerful  white  man. 

Perhaps,  too,  some  warlike  captain,  dressed  in  his 
buff-coat,  with  a  corselet  beneath  it,  accompanied  the 
governor  and  counsellors.  Laying  his  hand  upon  his 
sword  hilt,  he  would  declare,  that  the  only  method  of 
dealing  with  the  red  men  was  to  meet  them  with  the 
sword  drawn  and  the  musket  presented 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  .    49 

But  the  apostle  resisted  both  the  craft  of  the  politi 
cian  and  the  fierceness  of  the  warrior. 

"  Treat  these  sons  of  the  forest  as  men  and  breth 
ren,"  he  would  say  ;  "  and  let  us  endeavor  to  make 
them  Christians.  Their  forefathers  were  of  that 
chosen  race  whom  God  delivered  from  Egyptian  bond 
age.  Perchance  he  has  destined  us  to  deliver  the 
children  from  the  more  cruel  bondage  of  ignorance 
and  idolatry.  Chiefly  for  this  end,  it  may  be,  we 
were  directed  across  the  ocean." 

When  these  other  visitors  were  gone,  Mr.  Eliot 
bent  himself  again  over  the  half  written  page.  He 
dared  hardly  relax  a  moment  from  his  toil.  He  felt 
that,  in  the  book  which  he  was  translating,  there  was 
a  deep  human  as  well  as  heavenly  wisdom,  which 
would  of  itself  suffice  to  civilize  and  refine  the  savage 
tribes.  Let  the  Bible  be  diffused  among  them,  and 
all  earthly  good  would  follow.  But  how  slight  a  con 
sideration  was  this,  when  he  reflected  that  the  eternal 
welfare  of  a  whole  race  of  men  depended  upon  his  ac 
complishment  of  the  task  which  he  had  set  himself  ! 
What  if  his  hand  should  be  palsied  ?  What  if  his 
mind  should  lose  its  vigor  ?  What  if  death  should 
come  upon  him  ere  the  work  were  done?  Then 
must  the  red  man  wander  in  the  dark  wilderness  of 
heathenism  forever. 

Impelled  by  such  thoughts  as  these,  he  sat  writing 
in  the  great  chair  when  the  pleasant  summer  breeze 
came  in  through  his  open  casement ;  and  also  when 
the  fire  of  forest  logs  sent  up  its  blaze  and  smoke, 
through  the  broad  stoi>e  chimney,  into  the  wintry  air. 
Before  the  earliest  bird  sang  in  the  morning  the  apos 
tle's  lamp  was  kindled ;  and,  at  midnight,  his  weary 
4 


50  GRANDFATHER'S  C II AIR. 

head  was  not  yet  \ipon  its  pillow.  And  at  length, 
learning  back  in  the  great  chair,  he  could  say  to  him 
self,  with  a  holy  triumph, — "  The  work  is  finished  !  " 

It  was  finished.  Here  was  a. Bible  for  the  Indians. 
Those  long  lost  descendants  of  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel 
would  now  learn  the  history  of  their  forefathers. 
That  grace  which  the  ancient  Israelites  had  forfeited 
was  offered  anew  to  their  children. 

There  is  no  impiety  in  believing  that,  when  his  long 
life  was  over,  the  apostle  of  the  Indians  was  welcomed 
to  the  celestial  abodes  by  the  prophets  of  ancient  days 
arid  by  those  earliest  apostles  and  evangelists  who  had 
drawn  their  inspiration  from  the  immediate  presence 
of  the  Saviour.  They  first  had  preached  truth  and 
salvation  to  the  world.  And  Eliot,  separated  from 
them  by  many  centuries,  yet  full  of  the  same  spirit, 
had  borne  the  like  message  to  the  new  world  of  the 
West.  Since  the  first  days  of  Christianity,  there  has 
been  no  man  more  worthy  to  be  numbered  in  the 
brotherhood  of  the  apostles  than  Eliot, 


"  My  heart  is  not  satisfied  to  think,"  observed  Lan- 
rence,  "  that  Mr.  Eliot's  labors  have  done  no  good  ex 
cept  to  a  few  Indians  of  his  own  time.  Doubtless  he 
would  not  have  regretted  his  toil,  if  it  were  the  means 
of  saving  but  a  single  soul.  But  it  is  a  grievous  thing 
to  me  that  he  should  have  toiled  so  hard  to  translate 
the  Bible,  and  now  the  language  and  the  people  are 
gone  !  The  Indian  Bible  itself  is  almost  the  only  relic 
of  both." 

"Laurence,"  said  his  Grandfather,  "if    ever  you 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  51 

should  doubt  that  man  is  capable  of  disinterested  zeal 
for  his  brother's  good,  then  remember  how  the  apostle 
Eliot  toiled.  And  if  you  should  feel  your  own  self- 
interest  pressing  upon  your  heart  too  closely,  then 
think  of  Eliot's  Indian  Bible.  It  is  good  for  the 
world  that  such  a  man  lias  lived  and  left  this  emblem 
of  his  life." 

The  tears  gushed  into  the  eyes  of  Laurence,  and  he 
acknowledged  that  Eliot  had  not  toiled  in  vain.  Lit 
tle  Alice  put  up  her  arms  to  Grandfather,  and  drew 
down  his  white  head  beside  her  own  golden  locks. 

"Grandfather,"  whispered  she,  "I  want  to  kiss 
good  Mr.  Eliot !  " 

And,  doubtless,  good  Mr.  Eliot  would  gladly  re 
ceive  the  kiss  of  so  sweet  a  child  as  little  Alice,  and 
would  think  it  a  portion  of  his  reward  in  heaven. 

Grandfather  now  observed  that  Dr.  Francis  had 
written  a  very  beautiful  Life  of  Eliot  which  he  ad 
vised  Laurence  to  peruse.  He  then  spoke  of  Kins: 
Philip's  War,  which  began  in  1675,  and  terminated 
with  the  death  of  King  Philip,  in  the  following  year. 
Philip  was  a  proud,  fierce  Indian,  whom  Mr.  Eliot 
had  vainly  endeavored  to  convert  to  the  Christian 
faith. 

"  It  must  have  been  a  great  anguish  to  the  apostle,'' 
continued  Grandfather,  "  to  hear  of  mutual  slaughter 
and  outrage  between  his  own  countrymen  and  those 
for  whom  he  felt  the  affection  of  a  father.  A  few 
of  the  praying  Indians  joined  the  followers  of  King 
Philip.  A  greater  number  fought  on  the  side  of  the 
English.  In  the  course  of  the  war  the  little  commu 
nity  of  red  people  whom  Mr.  Eliot  had  begun  to  civ 
ilize  was  scattered,  and  probably  never  was  restored 


52  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

to  a  flourishing  condition.  But  his  zeal  did  not  grow 
cold  ;  and  only  about  five  years  before  his  death  he 
took  great  pains  in  preparing  a  new  edition  of  the  In 
dian  Bible." 

"I  do  wish,  Grandfather,"  cried  Charley,  "you 
would  tell  us  all  about  the  battles  in  King  Philip's 
war." 

"O,  no!"  exclaimed  Clara.  "Who  wants  to  hear 
about  tomahawks  and  scalping-knives !  " 

"No,  Charley,"  replied  Grandfather,  "  I  have  no 
time  to  spare  in  talking  about  battles.  You  must  be 
content  with  knowing  that  it  was  the  bloodiest  war 
that  the  Indians  had  ever  waged  against  the  white 
men  ;  and  that,  at  its  close,  the  English  set  King 
Philip's  head  upon  a  pole." 

"  Who  was  the  captain  of  the  English  ? "  asked 
Charley. 

"Their  most  noted  captain  was  Benjamin  Church, 
— a  very  famous  warrior,"  said  Grandfather.  "  But 
I  assure  you,  Charley,  that  neither  Captain  Church, 
nor  any  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  who  fought  in 
King  Philip's  War,  did  anything  a  thousandth  part 
so  glorious  as  Mr.  Eliot  did  when  he  translated  the 
Bible  for  the  Indians." 

"Let  Laurence  be  the  apostle,"  said  Charley  t<* 
himself,  "  and  I  will  be  the  captain." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  children  were  now  accustomed   to  assemble, 
round  Grandfather's  chair  at  all  their  unoccupied  mo 
ments  ;  and  often  it  was  a  striking  picture  to  behold 
the  white  headed  old  sire,  with  this  flowery  wreath  of 
young  people  around  him.     When  he  talked  to  them, "") 
it  was  the  past  speaking  to  the  present, — or  rather  / 
to  the  future,  for  the  children  were  of  a  generation 
which  had  not  become  actual.     Their  part  in  life,  > 
thus  far,  was  only  to  be  happy  and  to  draw  knowl 
edge  from  a  thousand  sources.     As  yet,  it  was  not 
their  time  to  do. 

Sometimes,  as  Grandfather  gazed  at  their  fair,  un 
worldly  countenances,  a  mist  of  tears  bedimmed  his 
spectacles.  He  almost  regretted  that  it  was  necessary 
for  them  to  know  anything  of  the  past  or  to  provide 
aught  for  the  future.  He  could  have  wished  that 
they  might  be  always  the  happy,  youthful  creatures 
who  had  hitherto  sported  around  his  chair,  without 
inquiring  whether  it  had  a  history.  It  grieved  him 
to  think  that  his  little  Alice,  who  was  a  flower-bud 
fresh  from  paradise,  must  open  her  leaves  to  the 
rough  breezes  of  the  world,  or  ever  open  them  in  any 
clime.  So  sweet  a  child  she  was,  that  it  seemed  fit 
her  infancy  should  be  immortal ! 

But  such  repinings  were  merely  flitting  shadows 
across  the  old  man's  heart.  He  had  faith  enough  to 
believe,  and  wisdom  enough  to  know,  that  the  bloom 


54  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR 

of  the  flower  would  be  even  holier  and  happier  than 
its  bud.  Even  within  himself — though  Grandfather 
;  was  now  at  that  period  of  life  when  the  veil  of  mor 
tality  is  apt  to  hang  heavily  over  the  soul, — still,  in 
his  inmost  being  he  was  conscious  of  something  that 
he  would  not  have  exchanged  for  the  best  happiness 
of  childhood.  It  was  a  bliss  to  which  every  sort  of 
earthly  experience — all  that  he  had  enjoyed,  or  suf 
fered,  or  seen,  or  heard,  or  acted,  with  the  breedings 
of  his  soul  upon  the  whole — had  contributed  some 
what.  In  the  same  manner  must  a  bliss,  of  which 
now  they  could  have  no  conception,  grow  up  within 
these  children,  and  form  a  part  of  their  sustenance 
for  immortality. 

So  Grandfather,  with  renewed  cheerfulness,  contin 
ued  his  history  of  the  chair,  trusting  that  aprofotmder 
wisdom  than  his  own  would  extract,  from  these  flow 
ers  and  weeds  of  Time,  a  fragrance  that  •might  last 
beyond  all  time. 

At  this  period  of  the  story  Grandfather  threw  a 
glance  backward  as  far  as  the  year  1660.  He  spoke 
of  the  ill-concealed  reluctance  with  which  the  Puritans 
in  America  had  acknowledged  the  sway  of  Charles  the 
Second  on  his  restoration  to  his  father's  throne.  When 
death  had  stricken  Oliver  Cromwell,  that  mighty  pro 
tector  had  no  sincerer  mourners  than  in  New  England. 
The  new  king  had  been  more  than  a  year  upon  the 
throne  before  his  accession  was  proclaimed  in  Boston  ; 
although  the  neglect  to  perform  the  ceremony  might 
have  subjected  the  rulers  to  the  charge  of  treason. 

During  the  reign  of  Charles  the  Second,  however, 
the  American  colonies  had  but  little  reason  to  com 
plain  of  harsh  or  tyrannical  treatment.  But  when 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  55 

Charles  died,  in  1685,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
brother  James,  the  patriarchs  of  Xew  England  began 
to  tremble.  King  James  was  a  bigoted  Roman  Cath 
olic,  and  was  known  to  be  of  an  arbitrary  temper.  It 
was  feared  by  all  Protestants,  and  chiefly  by  the 
Puritans,  that  he  would  assume  despotic  power  and 
attempt  to  establish  Popery  throughout  his  dominions. 
Our  forefathers  felt  that  they  had  no  security  either 
for  their  religion  or  their  liberties. 

The  result  proved  that  they  had  reason  for  their  ap 
prehensions.     King  James  caused  the  charters  of  all 
the  American  colonies  to  be  taken  away.     The  old 
charter  of  Massachusetts,  which  the  people  regarded 
as  a  holy  thing  and  as  the  foundation  of  all  their  lib 
erties,  was  declared  void.     The  colonists  were  now  no 
onger  freemen  ;  they  were  entirely  dependent  on  the 
dng's  pleasure.     At  first,  in  1685,  King  James  ap- 
)ointed  Joseph  Dudley,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  to 
be  president  of  New  England.     But  soon  afterwards 
Sir  Edmund  Andros,  an  officer  of  the  English  army, 
arrived,  with  a  commission  to  be  governor-general  of 
New  England  and  New  York. 

The  king  had  given  such  powers  to  Sir  Edmund 
Andros  that  there  was  now  no  liberty,  nor  scarcely 
any  law,  in  the  colonies  over  which  he  ruled.  The 
inhabitants  were  not  allowed  to  choose  representa 
tives,  and  consequently  had  no  voice  whatever  in  the 
government,  nor  control  over  the  measures  that  were 
id  onto-.!.  T'no  counsellors  with  whom  the  governor 
Consulted  on  matters  of  state  were  appointed  by  him 
self.  Tiiis  sort  of  government  was  no  better  that  an 
absolute  despotism. 

"  The  people  suffered  much  wrong  while  Sir  Ed' 


56  GRAtf DP  ATHENS  CHAlH. 

mnnd  Andros  ruled  over  them,"  continued  Grand 
father  ;  "  and  they  were  apprehensive  of  much  more. 
He  had  brought  some  soldiers  with  him  from  England, 
who  took  possession  of  the  old  fortress  on  Castle  Isl 
and  and  of  the  fortification  on  Fort  Hill.  Sometimes 
it  was  rumored  that  a  general  massacre  of  the  inhab 
itants  was  to  be  perpetrated  by  these  soldiers.  There 
were  reports,  too,  that  all  the  ministers  were  to  be 
slain  or  imprisoned." 

"  For  what  ?  "  inquired  Charley. 

"Because  they  were  the  leaders  of  the  people, 
Charley,"  said  Grandfather.  "  A  minister  was  a 
more  formidable  man  than  a  general  in  those  days. 
Well ;  while  these  things  were  going  on  in  America, 
King  James  had  so  misgoverned  the  people  of  Eng 
land  that  they  sent  over  to  Holland  for  the  Prince  of 
Orange.  He  had  married  the  king's  daughter,  and 
was  therefore  considered  to  have  a  claim  to  the 
crown.  On  his  arrival  in  England,  the  Prince  of 
Orange  was  proclaimed  king,  by  the  name  of  William 
the  Third.  Poor  old  King  James  made  his  escape  to 
France." 

Grandfather  told  how,  at  the  first  intelligence  of 
the  landing  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  in  England,  the 
people  of  Massachusetts  rose  in  their  strength  and 
overthrew  the  government  of  Sir  Edmund  Andros. 
He,  with  Joseph  Dudley,  Edmund  Randolph,  and  his 
other  principal  adherents,  was  thrown  into  prison. 
Old  Simon  Bradstreet,  who  had  been  governor  when 
King  James  took  away  the  charter,  was  called  by  the 
people  to  govern  them  again. 

"Governor  Bradstreet  was  a  venerable  old  man, 
nearly  ninety  years  of  age,"  said  Grandfather.  "  Ho 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  57 

came  over  with  the  first  settlers,  and  had  been  the  in 
timate  companion  of  all  those  excellent  and  famous 
men  who  laid  the  foundation  of  our  country.  They 
were  all  gone  before  him  to  the  grave  ;  and  Brad  street 
was  the  last  of  the  Puritans." 

Grandfather  paused  a  moment  and  smiled,  as  if  he 
had  something  very  interesting  to  tell  his  auditors. 
He  then  proceeded : 

"And  now,  Laurence, —  now,  Clara, —  now,  Char 
ley, — now,  my  dear  little  Alice, — what  chair  do  you 
think  had  been  placed  in  the  council  chamber,  for 
old  Governor  Bradstreet  to  take  his  seat  in  ?  "Would 
you  believe  that  it  was  this  very  chair  in  which 
grandfather  now  sits,  and  of  which  he  is  telling  you 
the  history  ?  " 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  with  all  my  heart !  "  cried 
Charley,  after  a  shout  of  delight.  "  I  thought  Grand 
father  had  quite  forgotten  the  chair." 

"  It  was  a  solemn  and  affecting  sight,"  said  Grand 
father,  "  when  this  venerable  patriarch,  with  his 
white  beard  flowing  down  upon  his  breast,  took  his 
seat  in  his  Chair  of  State.  Within  his  remembrance, 
and  even  since  his  mature  age,  the  site  where  now 
stood  the  populous  town  had  been  a  wild  and  forest- 
covered  peninsula.  The  province,  now  so  fertile  and 
spotted  with  thriving  villages,  had  been  a  desert  wil 
derness.  He  was  surrounded  by  a  shouting  multi 
tude,  most  of  whom  had  been  born  in  the  country 
which  he  had  helped  to  found.  They  were  of  one 
generation,  and  he  of  another.  As  the  old  man 
looked  upon  them,  and  beheld  new  faces  everywhere, 
he  must  have  felt  that  it  was  now  time  for  him  to  go 
whither  his  brethren  had  gone  before  him." 


58  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

"  "Were  the  former  governors  all  dead  and  gone  ?  " 
asked  Laurence. 

"  All  of  them,"  replied  Grandfather.  "  Winthrop 
had  been  dead  forty  years.  Endicott  died,  a  very  old 
man,  in  1665.  Sir  Henry  Vane  was  beheaded,  in 
London,  at  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Charles  the 
Second.  And  Haynes,  Dudley,  Bellingham,  and 
Leverett,  who  had  all  been  governors  of  Massachu 
setts,  were  now  likewise  in  their  graves.  Old  Simon 
Bradstreet  was  the  sole  representative  of  that  de 
parted  brotherhood.  There  was  no  other  public  man 
remaining  to  connect  the  ancient  system  of  govern 
ment  and  manners  with  the  new  system  which  was 
about  to  take  its  place.  The  era  of  the  Puritans  was 
now  completed." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  it,"  observed  Laurence ;  "  for, 
though  they  were  so  stern,  yet  it  seems  to  me  that 
there  was  something  warm  and  real  about  them.  I 
think,  Grandfather,  that  each  of  these  old  governors 
should  have  his  statue  set  up  in  our  State  House, 
sculptured  out  of  the  hardest  of  Kew  England  gran 
ite." 

"It  would  not  be  amiss,  Laurence,"  said  Grand 
father  ;  "  but  perhaps  clay,  or  some  other  perishable 
material,  might  suffice  for  some  of  their  successors. 
But  let  us  go  back  to  our  chair.  It  was  occupied  by 
Governor  Bradstreet  from  April,  1689,  until  May, 
1692.  Sir  William  Phips  then  arrived  in  Boston 
with  a  new  charter  from  King  William  and  a  com 
mission  to  be  governor," 


CHAPTER  X. 

"  AND  what  became  of  the  chair  ?  "  inquired  Clara. 

"  The  outward  aspect  of  our  chair,"  replied  Grand 
father,  "  was  now  somewhat  the  worse  for  its  long 
and  arduous  services.  It  was  considered  hardly  mag 
nificent  enough  to  be  allowed  to  keep  its  place  in  the 
council  chamber  of  Massachusetts.  In  fact,  it  was 
banished  as  an  article  of  useless  lumber.  But  Sir 
William  Phips  happened  to  see  it,  and,  being  much 
pleased  with  its  construction,  resolved  to  take  the 
good  old  chair  into  his  private  mansion.  Accord 
ingly,  with  his  own  gubernatorial  hands,  he  re 
paired  one  of  its  arms,  which  had  been  slightly  dam 
aged." 

"  Why,  Grandfather,  here  is  the  very  arm  !  "  in 
terrupted  Charley,  in  great  wonderment.  "  And  did 
Sir  William  Phips  put  in  these  screws  with  his  own 
hands  ?  I  am  sure  he  did  it  beautifully  !  But  how 
came  a  governor  to  know  how  to  mend  a  chair  ?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you  a  story  about  the  early  life  of  Sir- 
William  Phips,"  said  Grandfather.  "  You  will  then 
perceive  that  he  well  knew  how  to  use  his  hands." 

So  Grandfather  related  the  wonderful  and  true 
tale  of 

THE    SUNKEN    TREASURE. 

Picture  to  yourselves,  my  dear  children,  a  hand 
some,  old-fashioned  room,  with  a  large,  open  cup 
board  at  one  end,  in  which  is  displayed  a  magnificent 


60  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

gold  cup,  with  some  other  splendid  articles  of  gold 
and  silver  plate.  In  another  part  of  the  room,  op 
posite  to  a  tall  looking  glass,  stands  our  beloved  chair, 
newly  polished,  and  adorned  with  a  gorgeous  cushion 
of  crimson  velvet,  tufted  with  gold. 

In  the  chair  sits  a  man  of  strong  and  sturdy  frame, 
whose  face  has  been  roughened  by  northern  tempests 
and  blackened  by  the  burning  sun  of  the  West  Indies. 
He  wears  an  immense  periwig,  flowing  down  over  his 
shoulders.  His  coat  has  a  wide  embroidery  of  golden 
foliage  ;  and  his  waistcoat,  likewise,  is  all  flowered 
over  and  bedizened  with  gold.  His  red,  rough  hands, 
which  have  done  many  a  good  day's  work  with  the 
hammer  and  adze,  are  half  covered  by  the  delicate 
lace  ruffles  at  his  wrists.  On  a  table  lies  his  silver- 
hilted  sword  ;  and  in  the  corner  of  the  room  stands 
his  gold-headed  cane,  made  of  a  beautifully  polished 
West  India  wood. 

Somewhat  such  an  aspect  as  this  did  Sir  William 
Phips  present  when  he  sat  in  Grandfather's  chair 
after  the  king  had  appointed  him  governor  of  Massa 
chusetts.  Truly,  there  was  need  that  the  old  chair 
should  be  varnished  and  decorated  with  a  crimson 
cushon,  in  order  to  make  it  suitable  for  such  a  mag 
nificent  looking  personage. 

But  Sir  William  Phips  had  not  always  worn  a 
gold  embroidered  coat,  nor  always  sat  so  much  at  his 
ease  as  he  did  in  Grandfather's  chair,  lie  was  a  poor 
man's  son,  and  was  born  in  the  province  of  Maine, 
where  he  used  to  tend  sheep  upon  the  hills,  in  his  boy 
hood  and  youth.  Until  he  had  grown  to  be  a  man, 
he  did  not  even  know  how  to  read  and  write.  Tired 
of  tending  sheep,  he  next  apprenticed  himself  to  a 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  61 

ship-carpenter,  and  spent  about  four  years  in  hewing 
the  crooked  limbs  of  oak  trees  into  knees  for  vessels. 

In  1673,  when  he  was  twenty-two  years  old,  he 
came  to  Boston,  and  soon  afterwards  was  married  to 
a  widow  lady,  who  had  property  enough  to  set  him 
up  in  business.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  he 
lost  all  the  money  that  he  had  acquired  by  his  mar 
riage,  and  became  a  poor  man  again.  Still,  he  was 
not  discouraged.  lie  often  told  his  wife  that,  some 
time  or  other,  he  should  be  very  rich,  and  would 
build  a  "  fair  brick  house "  in  the  Green  Lane  of 
Boston. 

Do  not  suppose,  children,  that  he  had  been  to  a 
fortune-teller  to  inquire  his  destiny.  It  was  his  own 
energy  and  spirit  of  enterprise,  and  his  resolution  to 
lead  an  industrious  life,  that  made  him  look  forward 
with  so  much  confidence  to  better  days. 

Several  years  passed  away  ;  and  William  Phips  had 
not  yet  gained  the  riches  which  he  promised  to  him 
self.  During  this  time  he  had  begun  to  follow  the 
sea  for  a  living.  In  the  year  1684:  he  happened  to 
hear  of  a  Spanish  ship  which  had  been  cast  away  near 
the  Bahama  Islands,  and  which  was  supposed  to  con 
tain  a  great  deal  of  gold  and  silver.  Phips  went  to 
the  place  in  a  small  vessel,  hoping  that  he  should  be 
able  to  recover  some  of  the  treasure  from  the  wreck. 
He  did  not  succeed,  however,  in  fishing  up  gold  and 
silver  enough  to  pay  the  expenses  of  his  voyage. 

But,  before  he  returned,  he  was  told  of  another 
Spanish  ship,  or  galleon,  which  had  been  cast  away 
near  Porto  de  la  Plata.  She  had  now  lain  as  much  as 
fifty  years  beneath  the  waves.  This  old  ship  had  been 
laden  with  immense  wealth ;  and,  hitherto,  nobody 


62  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

had  thought  of  the  possibility  of  recovering  any  part 
of  it  from  the  deep  sea  which  was  rolling  and  tossing 
it  about.  But  though  it  was  now  an  old  story,  and 
the  most  aged  people  had  almost  forgotten  that  such 
a  vessel  had  been  wrecked,  William  Phips  resolved 
that  the  sunken  treasure  should  again  be  brought  to 
light. 

He  went  to  London  and  obtained  admittance  to 
King  James,  who  had  not  yet  been  driven  from  his 
throne.  He  told  the  king  of  the  vast  wealth  that  was 
lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  King  James  listened 
with  attention,  and  thought  this  a  fine  opportunity  to 
fill  his  treasury  with  Spanish  gold.  He  appoinfed 
William  Phips  to  be  captain  of  a  vessel,  called  the 
Rose  Algier,  carrying  eighteen  guns  and  ninety-five 
men.  So  now  he  was  Captain  Phips  of  the  English 
navy. 

Captain  Phips  sailed  from  England  in  the  Rose 
Algier,  and  cruised  for  nearly  two  years  in  the  West 
Indies,  endeavouring  to  find  the  wreck  of  the  Spanish 
ship.  But  the  sea  is  so  wide  and  deep  that  it  is  no 
easy  matter  to  discover  the  exact  spot  where  a  sunken 
vessel  lies.  The  prospect  of  success  seemed  very 
small ;  and  most  people  would  have  thought  that 
Captain  Phips  was  as  far  from  having  money  enough 
to  build  a  "  fair  brick  house "  as  he  was  while  he 
tended  sheep. 

The  seamen  of  the  Rose  Algier  became  discouraged, 
and  gave  up  all  hope  of  making  their  fortunes  by 
discovering  the  Spanish  wreck.  They  wanted  to 
compel  Captain  Phips  to  turn  pirate.  There  was  a 
much  better  prospect,  they  thought,  of  growing  rich 
by  plundering  vessels  which  still  sailed  in  the  sea 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  63 

than  by  seeking  for  a  ship  that  had  lain  beneath  the 
waves  full  half  a  century.  They  broke  out  in  open 
mutiny,  but  were  finally  mastered  by  Phips,  and 
compelled  to  obey  his  orders.  It  would  have  been 
dangerous,  however,  to  continue  much  longer  at 
sea  with  such  a  crew  of  mutinous  sailors ;  and,  be 
sides,  the  Rose  Algier  was  leaky  and  unseaworthy. 
So  Captain  Phips  judged  it  best  to  return  to 
England. 

Before  leaving  the  West  Indies,  he  met  with  a  Span 
iard,  an  old  man,  who  remembered  the  wreck  of  the 
Spanish  ship,  and  gave  him  directions  how  to  find  the 
very  spot.  It  was  on  a  reef  of  rocks,  a  few  leagues 
from  Porto  de  la  Plata. 

On  his  arrival  in  England,  therefore,  Captain  Phips 
solicited  the  king  to  let  him  have  another  vessel  and 
send  him  back  again  to  the  West  Indies.  But  King 
James,  who  had  probably  expected  that  the  Rose  Al 
gier  would  return  laden  with  gold,  refused  to  have 
anything  more  to  do  with  the  affair.  Phips  might 
never  have  been  able  to  renew  the  search  if  the  Duke 
of  Albemarle  and  some  other  noblemen  had  not  lent 
their  assistance.  They  fitted  out  a  ship,  and  gave  the 
command  to  Captain  Phips.  He  sailed  from  Eng 
land,  and  arrived  safely  at  Porto  de  la  Plata,  where 
he  took  an  adze  and  assisted  his  men  to  build  a  large 
boat. 

The  boat  was  intended  for  the  purpose  of  going 
closer  to  the  reef  of  rocks  than  a  large  vessel  could 
safely  venture.  When  it  was  finished,  the  captain 
sent  several  men  in  it  to  examine  the  spot  where  the 
Spanish  ship  was  said  to  have  been  wrecked.  They 
were  accompanied  by  some  Indians,  who  were  skilful 


64:  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

divers,  and  could  go  down  a  great  way  into  the  depths 
of  the  sea. 

The  boat's  crew  proceeded  to  the  reef  of  rocks,  and 
rowed  round  and  round  it  a  great  many  times.  They 
gazed  down  into  the  water,  which  was  so  transparent 
that  it  seemed  as  if  they  could  have  seen  the  gold  and 
silver  at  the  bottom,  had  there  been  any  of  those  pre 
cious  metals  there.  Nothing,  however,  could  they 
see  ;  nothing  more  valuable  than  a  curious  sea  shrub, 
which  was  growing  beneath  the  water,  in  a  crevice  of 
the  reef  of  rocks.  It  flaunted  to  and  f  ro  with  the 
swell  and  reflux  of  the  waves,  and  looked  as  bright 
and  beautiful  as  if  its  leaves  were  gold. 

"  We  won't  go  back  empty-handed,"  cried  an  Eng 
lish  sailor ;  and  then  he  spoke  to  one  of  the  Indian 
divers.  "  Dive  down  and  bring  me  that  pretty  sea 
shrub  there.  That's  the  only  treasure  we  shall  find  !  " 

Down  plunged  the  diver,  and  soon  rose  dripping 
from  the  water,  holding  the  sea  shrub  in  his  hand. 
But  he  had  learnt  some  news  at  the  bottom  of  the 
sea. 

"There  are  some  ship's  guns,"  said  he,  the  moment 
he  had  drawn  breath,  "  some  great  cannon,  among 
thp  rocks,  near  where  the  shrub  was  growing." 

Eo  sooner  had  he  spoken  than  the  English  sailors 
knew  that  they  had  found  the  very  spot  where  the 
Spanish  galleon  had  been  wrecked,  so  many  years 
before.  The  other  Indian  divers  immediately  plunged 
over  the  boat's  side  and  swam  headlong  down,  grop 
ing  among  the  rocks  and  sunken  cannon.  In  a  few 
moments  one  of  them  rose  above  the  water  with  a 
heavy  lump  of  silver  in  his  arms.  That  single  lump 
was  worth  more  than  a  thousand  dollars.  The  sail- 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  65 

ors  took  it  into  the  boat,  and  then  rowed  back  as 
speedily  as  they  could,  being  in  haste  to  inform  Cap 
tain  Phips  of  their  good  luck. 

But,  confidently  as  the  Captain  had  hoped  to  find 
the  Spanish  wreck,  yet,  now  that  it  was  really  found, 
the  news  seemed  too  good  to  be  true.  He  could  not 
believe  it  till  the  sailors  showed  him  the  lump  of 
silver. 

"  Thanks  be  to  God  !  "  then  cries  Captain  Phips. 
"  We  shall  every  man  of  us  make  our  fortunes !  " 

Hereupon  the  captain  and  all  the  crew  set  to  work, 
with  iron  rakes  and  great  hooks  and  lines,  fishing  for 
gold  and  silver  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  Up  came 
the  treasure  in  abundance.  Now  they  beheld  a  table 
of  solid  silver,  once  the  property  of  an  old  Spanish 
Grandee.  Now  they  found  a  sacramental  vessel,  which 
had  been  destined  as  a  gift  to  some  Catholic  church. 
Now  they  drew  up  a  golden  cup,  fit  for  the  king  of 
Spain  to  drink  his  wine  out  of.  Perhaps  the  bony 
hand  of  its  former  owner  had  been  grasping  the  pre 
cious  cup,  and  was  drawn  up  along  with  it.  Now  their 
rakes  or  fishing-lines  were  loaded  with  masses  of  sil 
ver  bullion.  There  were  also  precious  stones  among 
the  treasure,  glittering  and  sparkling,  so  that  it  is  a 
wonder  how  their  radiance  could  have  been  concealed, 

There  is  something  sad  and  terrible  in  the  idea  of 
snatching  all  this  wealth  from  the  devouring  ocean, 
which  had  possessed  it  for  such  a  length  of  years.  It 
seems  as  if  men  had  no  right  to  make  themselves  rich 
with  it.  It  ought  to  have  been  left  with  the  skeletons 
of  the  ancient  Spaniards,  who  had  been  drowned 
when  the  ship  was  wrecked,  and  whose  bones  were 
now  scattered  among  the  gold  and  silver. 


66  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

But  Captain  Phips  and  his  crew  were  troubled 
with  no  such  thoughts  as  these.  After  a  day  or  two 
they  lighted  on  another  part  of  the  wreck,  where  they 
found  a  great  many  bags  of  silver  dollars.  But  no 
body  could  have  guessed  that  these  were  money-bags, 
By  remaining  so  long  in  the  salt-water,  they  had  be 
come  covered  over  with  a  crust  which  had  the  appear 
ance  of  stone,  so  that  it  was  necessary  to  break  them  in 
pieces  with  hammers  and  axes.  "When  this  was  done, 
a  stream  of  silver  dollars  gushed  out  upon  the  deck 
of  the  vessel. 

The  whole  value  of  the  recovered  treasure,  plate, 
bullion,  precious  stones,  and  all,  was  estimated  at  more 
than  two  millions  of  dollars.  It  was  dangerous  even 
to  look  at  such  a  vast  amount  of  wealth.  A  sea  cap 
tain,  who  had  assisted  Phips  in  the  enterprise,  utterly 
lost  his  reason  at  the  sight  of  it.  He  died  two  years 
afterwards,  still  raving  about  the  treasures  that  lie  at 
the  bottom  of  the  sea.  It  would  have  been  better 
for  this  man  if  he  had  left  the  skeletons  of  the  ship 
wrecked  Spaniards  in  quiet  possession  of  their  wealth. 

Captain  Phips  and  his  men  continued  to  fish  up 
plate,  bullion,  and  dollars,  as  plentifully  as  ever,  till 
their  provisions  grew  short.  Then,  as  they  could  not 
feed  upon  gold  and  silver  any  more  than  old  King 
Midas  could,  they  found  it  necessary  to  go  in  search 
of  better  sustenance.  Phips  resolved  to  return  to 
England.  He  arrived  there  in  1687,  and  was  re 
ceived  with  great  joy  by  the  Duke  of  Albemarle  and 
other  English  lords  who  had  fitted  out  the  vessel. 
"Well  they  might  rejoice  ;  for  they  took  by  far  the 
greater  part  of  the  treasure  to  themselves. 

The  captain's  share,  however,  was  enough  to  make 


GRANDFATHER1 8  CHAIR.  67 

him  comfortable  for  the  rest  of  his  days.  It  also  en 
abled  him  to  fulfil  his  promise  to  his  wife,  by  build 
ing  a  "fair  brick  house"  in  the  Green  Lane  of  Bos 
ton.  The  Duke  of  Albemarle  sent  Mrs.  Pliips  a 
magnificent  gold  cup,  worth  at  least  five  thousand 
dollars.  Before  Captain  Phips  left  London,  King 
James  made  him  a  knight ;  so  that,  instead  of  the 
obscure  ship-carpenter  who  had  formerly  dwelt  among 
them,  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  welcomed  him  on 
his  return  as  the  rich  and  famous  Sir  William  Phips. 


CHAPTER  XL 

"  SIR  WILLIAM  PHIPS,"  continued  Grandfather, 
"  was  too  active  and  adventurous  a  man  to  sit  still  in 
the  quiet  enjoyment  of  his  good  fortune.  In  the  year 
1690  he  went  on  a  military  expedition  against  the 
French  colonies  in  America,  conquered  the  whole 
province  of  Acadie,  and  returned  to  Boston  with  a 
great  deal  of  plunder." 

"  Why,  Grandfather,  he  was  the  greatest  man  that 
ever  sat  in  the  chair !  "  cried  Charley. 

"  Ask  Laurence  what  he  thinks,"  replied  Grand 
father,  with  a  smile.  "  Well;  in  the  same  year,  Sir 
William  took  command  of  an  expedition  against  Que 
bec,  but  did  not  succeed  in  capturing  the  city.  In 
1692,  being  then  in  London,  King  William  III.  ap 
pointed  him  governor  of  Massachusetts.  And  now, 
my  dear  children,  having  followed  Sir  William  Phips 
through  all  his  adventures  and  hardships  till  we  find 
him  comfortably  seated  in  Grandfather's  chair,  we 
will  here  bid  him  farewell.  May  he  be  as  happy  in 
ruling  a  people  as  he  was  while  he  tended  sheep  !  " 

Charley,  whose  fancy  had  been  greatly  taken  by  the 
adventurous  disposition  of  Sir  William  Phips,  was 
eager  to  know  how  he  had  acted  and  what  happened 
to  him  while  he  held  the  office  of  governor.  But 
Grandfather  had  made  up  his  mind  to  tell  no  more 
stories  for  the  present. 

"  Possibly,  one  of  these  days,  I  may  go  on  with 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  69 

the  adventures  of  the  chair,"  said  he.  "  But  its  his 
tory  becomes  very  obscure  just  at  this  point ;  and  I 
must  search  into  some  old  books  and  manuscripts  be 
fore  proceeding  further.  Besides,  it  is  now  a  good 
time  to  pause  in  our  narrative  ;  because  the  new  char 
ter,  which  Sir  William  Phips  brought  over  from  Eng 
land,  formed  a  very  important  epoch  in  the  history  of 
the  province." 

"  Really,  Grandfather,"  observed  Laurence,  "  this 
seems  to  be  the  most  remarkable  chair  in  the  world. 
Its  history  cannot  be  told  without  intertwining  it  with 
the  lives  of  distinguished  men  and  the  great  events 
that  have  befallen  the  country." 

"  True,  Laurence,"  replied  Grandfather,  smiling. 
"  We  must  write  a  book  with  some  such  title  as  this, — 
MEMOIRS  OF  MY  OWN  TIMES,  BY  GRANDFATHER'S 
CHAIR." 

"  That  would  be  beautiful !  "  exclaimed  Laurence, 
clapping  his  hands. 

"  But,  after  all,"  continued  Grandfather,  "  any 
other  old  chair,  if  it  possessed  memory  and  a  hand  to 
write  its  recollections,  could  record  stranger  stories 
than  any  that  I  have  told  you.  From  generation  to 
generation,,  a  chair  sits  familiarly  in  the  midst  of  hu 
man  interests,  and  is  witness  to  the  most  secret  and 
confidential  intercourse  that  mortal  man  can  hold  with 
his  fellow.  The  human  heart  may  best  be  read  in 
the  fireside  chair.  And  as  to  external  events,  Grief . 
and  Joy  keep  a  continual  vicissitude  around  it  and; 
within  it.  Now  we  see  the  glad  face  and  glowing 
form  of  Joy,  sitting  merrily  in  the  old  chair,  arid 
throwing  a  warm  fire-light  radiance  over  all  the  house 
hold.  Now,  while  we  thought  not  of  it,  the  dark  clad 


TO  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

mourner,  Grief,  has  stolen  into  the  place  of  Joy,  but 
not  to  retain  it  long.  The  imagination  can  hardly 
graep  so  wide  a  subject  as  is  embraced  in  the  experi 
ence  of  a  family  chair." 

"It  makes  my  breath  flutter, — my  heart  thrill, — to 
think  of  it,"  said  Laurence.  "  Yes  ;  a  family  chair 
must  have  a  deeper  history  than  a  Chair  of  State." 

"  O,  yes !  "  cried  Clara,  expressing  a  woman's  feel 
ing  on  the  point  in  question;  "the  history  of  a  coun 
try  is  not  nearly  so  interesting  as  that  of  a  single  fam 
ily  would  be." 

"  But  the  history  of  a  country  is  more  easily  told," 
said  Grandfather.  "  So,  if  we  proceed  with  our  nar 
rative  of  the  chair,  I  shall  still  confine  myself  to  its 
connexion  with  public  events." 

Good  old  Grandfather  now  rose  and  quitted  the 
room,  while  the  children  remained  gazing  at  the 
chair.  Laurence,  so  vivid  was  his  conception  of  past 
times,  would  hardly  have  deemed  it  strange  if  its  for 
mer  occupants,  one  after  another,  had  resumed  the 
seat  which  they  had  each  left  vacant  such  a  dim 
length  of  years  ago. 

First,  the  gentle  and  lovely  lady  Arbella  would 
have  been  seen  in  the  old  chair,  almost  sinking  out  of 
its  arms  for  very  weakness  ;  then  Roger  "Williams,  in 
his  cloak  and  band,  earnest,  energetic,  and  benevo 
lent  ;  then  the  figure  of  Anne  Ilutchinson,  with  the 
like  gesture  as  when  she  presided  at  the  assemblages 
of  women ;  then  the  dark,  intellectual  face  of  Yane, 
"young  in  years,  but  in  sage  counsel  old."  ISText 
would  have  appeared  the  successive  governors,  Win- 
throp,  Dudley,  Bellingham,  and  Endicott,  who  sat  in 
the  chair  while;  it  was  a  Chair  of  State,  Then  its 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  71 

ample  seat  would  have  been  pressed  by  the  comfort 
able,  rotund  corporation  of  the  honest  mint- master. 
Then  the  half -frenzied  shape  of  Mary  Dyer,  the  per 
secuted  Quaker  woman,  clad  in  sackcloth  and  ashes, 
would  have  rested  in  it  for  a  moment.  Then  the  holy 
apostolic  form  of  Eliot  would  have  sanctified  it.  Then 
would  have  arisen,,  like  the  shade  of  departed  Puri 
tanism,  the  venerable  dignity  of  the  white-bearded 
Governor  Bradstreet.  Lastly,  on  the  gorgeous  crim 
son  cushion  of  Grandfather's  chair,  would  have  shone 
the  purple  and  golden  magnificence  of  Sir  "William 
Phips. 

But,  all  these,  with  the  other  historic  personages,  in 
the  midst  of  whom  the  chair  had  so  often  stood,  had 
passed,  both  in  substance  and  shadow,  from  the  scene 
of  ages !  Yet  here  stood  the  chair,  with  the  old  Lin 
coln  coat  of  arms,  and  the  oaken  flowers  and  foliage, 
and  the  fierce  lion's  head  at  the  summit,  the  whole, 
apparently,  in  as  perfect  preservation  as  when  it  had 
first  been  placed  in  the  Earl  of  Lincoln's  hall.  And 
what  vast  changes  of  society  and  of  nations  had  been 
wrought  by  sudden  convulsions  or  by  slow  degrees 
since  that  era  ! 

"  This  chair  had  stood  firm  when  the  thrones  of 
kings  were  overturned  !  "  thought  Laurence.  "  Its 
oaken  frame  has  proved  stronger  than  many  frames 
of  government !  " 

More  the  thoughtful  and  imaginative  boy  might 
have  mused  ;  but  now  a  large  yellow  cat,  a  great  fa 
vorite  with  all  the  children,  leaped  in  at  the  open 
window.  Perceiving  that  Grandfather's  chair  was 
empty,  and  having  often  before  experienced  its  com 
forts,  puss  laid  herself  quietly  down  upon  the  cushion, 


72  GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR. 

Laurence,  Clara,  Charley,  and  little  Alice  all  laughed 
at  the  idea  of  such  a  successor  to  the  worthies  of  old 
times. 

"  Pussy,"  said  little  Alice,  putting  out  her  hand, 
into  which  the  cat  laid  a  velvet  paw,  "  you  look  very 
wise.  Do  tell  us  a  story  about  GRANDFATHER'S 
CHAIK!" 


FAMOUS   OLD  PEOPLE. 

BEING  THE  SECOND  EPOCH  OF  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 


CHAPTER   I. 

"  On,  Grandfather,  dear  Grandfather,"  cried  little 
Alice,  "pray  tell  us  some  more  stories  about  your 
chair !  " 

How  long  a  time  had  fled  since  the  children  had 
felt  any  curiosity  to  hear  the  sequel  of  this  venerable 
chair's  adventures  !  Summer  was  now  past  arid  gone, 
and  the  better  part  of  autumn  likewise.  Dreary,  chill 
November  was  howling  out  of  doors,  and  vexing  the 
atmosphere  with  sudden  showers  of  wintry  rain,  or 
sometimes  with  gusts  of  snow,  that  rattled  like  small 
pebbles  against  the  windows. 

When  the  weather  began  to  grow  cool,  Grand 
father's  chair  had  been  removed  from  the  summer 
parlor  into  a  smaller  and  snugger  room.  It  now  stood 
by  the  side  of  a  bright,  blazing  wood-fire.  Grand 
father  loved  a  wood-fire  far  better  than  a  grate  of  glow 
ing  anthracite,  or  than  the  dull  heat  of  an  invisible 
furnace,  whieh  seems  to  think  that  it  has  done  its 
duty  in  merely  warming  the  house.  But  the  wood- 
fire  is  a  kindly,  cheerful,  sociable  spirit,  sympathizing 
with  mankind,  and  knowing  that  to  create  warmth  is 
but  one  of  the  good  offices  which  are  expected  from  it. 


74  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

Therefore  it  dances  on  the  hearth,  and  laughs  broad 
ly  through  the  room,  and  plays  a  thousand  antics, 
and  throws  a  joyous  glow  over  all  the  faces  that  encir 
cle  it. 

In  the  twilight  of  the  evening  the  fire  grew  bright 
er  and  more  cheerful.  And  thus,  perhaps,  there  was 
something  in  Grandfather's  heart  that  cheered  him 
most  with  its  warmth  and  comfort  in  the  gathering 
twilight  of  old  age.  He  had  been  gazing  at  the  red 
embers  as  intently  as  if  his  past  life  were  all  pictured 
there,  or  as  if  it  were  a  prospect  of  the  future  world, 
when  little  Alice's  voice  aroused  him. 

"  Dear  Grandfather,"  repeated  the  little  girl,  more 
earnestly,  "  do  talk  to  us  again  about  your  chair." 

Laurence,  and  Clara,  and  Charley,  and  little  Alice 
had  been  attracted  to  other  objects  for  two  or  three 
months  past.  They  had  sported  in  the  gladsome  sun 
shine  of  the  present,  and  so  had  f orgetten  the  shadowy 
region  of  the  past,  in  the  midst  of  which  stood  Grand 
father's  chair.  But  now,  in  the  autumnal  twilight, 
illuminated  by  the  flickering  blaze  of  the  wood-fire, 
they  looked  at  the  old  chair,  and  thought  that  it  had 
never  before  worn  such  an  interesting  aspect.  There 
it  stood  in  the  venerable  majesty  of  more  than  two 
hundred  years.  The  light  from  the  hearth  quivered 
upon  the  flowers  and  foliage  that  were  wrought 
into  its  oaken  back ;  and  the  lion's  head  at  the 
summit  seemed  almost  to  move  its  jaws  and  shake 
its  mane. 

"  Does  little  Alice  speak  for  all  of  you  ? "  asked 
Grandfather.  "  Do  you  wish  me  to  go  on  with  the 
adventures  of  the  chair  ?  " 

«  Oh  yes,  yes,  Grandfather !"  cried  Clara.     "  The 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  75 

dear  old  chair !  How  strange  that  we  should  have 
forgotten  it  so  long  !  " 

"  Oh,  pray  begin,  Grandfather,"  said  Laurence,  "  f 01 
I  think,  when  we  talk  about  old  times,  it  should  be  in 
the  early  evening,  before  the  candles  are  lighted. 
The  shapes  of  the  famous  persons  who  once  sat  in  the 
chair  will  be  more  apt  to  come  back,  and  be  seen 
among  us,  in  this  glimmer  and  pleasant  gloom,  than 
they  would  in  the  vulgar  daylight.  And,  besides,  we 
can  make  pictures  of  all  that  you  tell  us  among  the 
glowing  embers  and  white  ashes." 

Our  friend  Charley,  too,  thought  the  evening  the 
best  time  to  hear  Grandfather's  stories,  because  he 
could  not  then  be  playing  out  of  doors.  So  finding 
his  young  auditors  unanimous  in  their  petition,  the 
good  old  gentleman  took  up  the  narrative  of  the  his 
toric  chair  at  the  point  where  he  had  dropped  it. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"You  recollect,  my  dear  children,"  said  Grand 
father,  "that  we  took  leave  of  the  chair  in  1692, 
while  it  was  occupied  by  Sir  William  Phips.  This 
fortunate  treasure-seeker,  you  will  remember,  had 
come  over  from  England,  with  King  William's  com 
mission,  to  be  governor  of  Massachusetts.  Within 
the  limits  of  this  province  were  now  included  the 
old  colony  of  Plymouth  and  the  territories  of  Maine 
and  Nova  Scotia.  Sir  William  Phips  had  likewise 
brought  a  new  charter  from  the  king,  which  served 
instead  of  a  constitution,  and  set  forth  the  method  in 
which  the  province  was  to  be  governed." 

"  Did  the  new  charter  allow  the  people  all  their 
former  liberties  ?  "  inquired  Laurence. 

"  No,"  replied  Grandfather.  "  Under  the  first 
charter,  the  people  had  been  the  source  of  all  power. 
Winthrop,  Endicott,  Bradstreet,  and  the  rest  of  them 
had  been  governors  by  the  choice  of  the  people,  with 
out  any  interference  of  the  king.  But  henceforth 
the  governor  was  to  hold  his  station  solely  by  the 
king's  appointment  and  during  his  pleasure ;  and 
the  same  was  the  case  with  the  lieutenant-governor 
and  some  other  high  officers.  The  people,  however, 
were  still  allowed  to  choose  representatives ;  and  the 
governor's  council  was  chosen  by  the  general  court." 

"  Would  the  inhabitants  have  elected  Sir  William 
Phips,"  asked  Laurence,  "  if  the  choice  of  governor 
hacl  been  left  to  them  ? " 


GRANDFATHER 'S  CHAIR.  77 

"He  might  probably  have  been  a  successful  candi 
date,"  answered  Grandfather;  "for  his  adventures 
and  military  enterprises  had  gained  him  a  sort  of  re 
nown,  which  always  goes  a  great  way  with  the  people. 
Ajid  he  had  many  popular  characteristics,  being  a 
kind,  warm-hearted  man,  not  ashamed  of  his  low  ori 
gin  nor  haughty  in  his  present  elevation.  Soon  after 
his  arrival,  he  proved  that  he  did  not  blush  to  recog 
nize  his  former  associates." 

"How  was  that?  "  inquired  Charley. 

"  lie  made  a  grand  festival  at  his  new  brick  house," 
said  Grandfather,  "and  invited  all  the  ship-carpen 
ters  of  Boston  to  be  his  guests.  At  the  head  of  the 
table,  in  our  great  chair,  sat  Sir  "William  Phips  him 
self,  treating  these  hard  handed  men  as  his  brethren, 
cracking  jokes  with  them,  and  talking  familiarly 
about  old  times.  I  know  not  whether  he  wore  his 
embroidered  dress ;  but  I  rather  choose  to  imagine 
that  he  had  on  a  suit  of  rough  clothes,  such  as  he  used 
to  labor  in  while  he  was  Phips  the  ship-carpenter." 

"  An  aristocrat  need  not  be  ashamed  of  the  trade," 
observed  Laurence ;  "  for  the  czar  Peter  the  Great 
once  served  an  apprenticeship  to  it." 

"  Did  Sir  William  Phips  make  as  good  a  governor 
as  he  was  a  ship-carpenter  ? "  asked  Charley. 

"History  says  but  little  about  his  merits  as  a  ship- 
carpenter,"  answered  Grandfather ;  "  but,  as  a  gov 
ernor,  a  great  deal  of  fault  was  found  with  him.  Al 
most  as  soon  as  he  assumed  the  government,  he  be 
came  engaged  in  a  very  frightful  business,  which 
might  have  perplexed  a  wiser  and  better  cultivated 
head  than  his.  This  was  the  witchcraft  delusion." 

And  here  Grandfather  gave  his  auditors  such  de- 


78  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

tails  of  this  melancholy  affair  as  he  thought  it  fit  for 
them  to  know.  They  shuddered  to  hear  that  a  frenzy, 
which  led  to  the  death  of  many  innocent  persons,  had 
originated  in  the  wicked  arts  of  a  few  children.  They 
belonged  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parris,  minister  of  Salem 
These  children  complained  of  being  pinched  ana 
pricked  with  pins,  and  otherwise  tormented  by  the 
shapes  of  men  and  women,  who  were  supposed  to 
have  power  to  haunt  them  invisibly,  both  in  darkness 
and  day-light.  Often  in  the  midst  of  their  family 
and  friends  the  children  would  pretend  to  be  seized 
with  strange  convulsions,  and  would  cry  out  that  the 
witches  were  afflicting  them. 

These  stories  spread  abroad,  and  caused  great  tu 
mult  and  alarm.  From  the  foundation  of  New  Eng 
land,  it  had  been  the  custom  of  the  inhabitants,  in  all 
matters  of  doubt  and  difficulty,  to  look  to  their  min 
isters  for  counsel.  So  they  did  now ;  but,  unfortu 
nately,  the  ministers  and  the  wise  men  were  more  de 
luded  than  the  illiterate  people.  Cotton  Mather,  a 
very  learned  and  eminent  clergyman,  believed  that 
the  whole  country  was  full  of  witches  and  wizards, 
who  had  given  up  their  hopes  of  heaven,  and  signed 
a  covenant  with  the  Evil  One. 

Nobody  could  be  certain  that  his  nearest  neighbor 
or  most  intimate  friend  was  not  guilty  of  this  imag 
inary  crime.  The  number  of  those  who  pretended 
to  be  afflicted  by  witchcraft  grew  daily  more  numer 
ous  ;  and  they  bore  testimony  against  many  of  the 
best  and  worthiest  people.  A  minister,  named  George 
Burroughs,  was  among  the  accused.  In  the  months  of 
August  and  September,  1692,  he  and  nineteen  other 
innocent  men  and  women  were  put  to  death.  The 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  79 

place  of  execution  was  a  high  hill,  on  the  outskirts  of 
Salem ;  so  that  many  of  the  sufferers,  as  they  stood 
beneath  the  gallows,  could  discern  their  own  habita 
tions  in  the  town. 

The  martyrdom  of  these  guiltless  persons  seemed 
only  to  increase  the  madness.  The  afflicted  now 
grew  bolder  in  their  accusations.  Many  people  of 
rank  and  wealth  were  either  thrown  into  prison  or 
compelled  to  flee  for  their  lives.  Among  these  were 
two  sons  of  old  Simon  Bradstreet,  the  last  of  the  Pur 
itan  governors.  Mr.  Willard,  a  pious  minister  of  Bos 
ton,  was  cried  out  upon  as  a  wizard  in  open  court. 
Mrs.  Hale,  the  wife  of  the  minister  of  Beverly,  was 
likewise  accused.  Philip  English,  a  rich  merchant 
of  Salem,  found  it  necessary  to  take  flight,  leaving  his 
property  and  business  in  confusion.  But  a  short  time 
afterwards,  the  Salem  people  were  glad  to  invite  him 
back. 

"  The  boldest  thing  that  the  accusers  did,"  contin 
ued  Grandfather,  "  was  to  cry  out  against  the  govern 
or's  own  beloved  wife.  Yes  ;  the  lady  of  Sir  Wil 
liam  Phips  was  accused  of  being  a  witch  and  of  flying 
through  the  air  to  attend  witch  meetings.  When  the 
governor  heard  this  he  probably  trembled,  so  that 
our  great  chair  shook  beneath  him." 

"Dear  Grandfather,"  cried  little  Alice,  clinging 
closer  to  his  knee,  "  is  it  true  that  witches  ever  come 
in  the  night-time  to  frighten  little  children  ? " 

"No,  no,  dear  little  Alice,"  replied  Grandfather. 
"  Even  if  there  were  any  witches,  they  would  flee 
away  from  the  presence  of  a  pure-hearted  child. 
But  there  are  none ;  and  our  forefathers  soon  became 
convinced  that  they  had  been  led  into  a  terrible  delu- 


80  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

sion.  All  the  prisoners  on  account  of  witchcraft  were 
set  free.  But  the  innocent  dead  could  not  be  restored 
to  life ;  and  the  hill  where  they  were  executed  will 
always  remind  the  people  of  the  saddest  and  most 
humiliating  passage  in  our  history. 

Grandfather  then  said  that  the  next  remarkable 
event,  while  Sir  William  Phips  remained  in  the 
chair,  was  the  arrival  at  Boston  of  an  English  fleet 
in  1G93.  It  brought  an  army  which  was  intended  for 
the  conquest  of  Canada.  But  a  malignant  disease, 
more  fatal  than  the  small-pox,  broke  out  among  the 
soldiers  and  sailors,  and  destroyed  the  greater  part  of 
them.  The  infection  spread  into  the  town  of  Boston, 
and  made  much  havoc  there.  This  dreadful  sickness 
caused  the  governor  and  Sir  Francis  Wheeler,  who 
was  commander  of  the  British  forces,  to  give  up  all 
thoughts  of  attacking  Canada. 

"  Soon  after  this,"  said  Grandfather,  "  Sir  William 
Phips  quarrelled  with  the  captain  of  an  English 
frigate,  and  also  with  the  Collector  of  Boston.  Being 
a  man  of  violent  temper,  he  gave  each  of  them  a  sound 
beating  with  his  cane," 

"He  was  a  bold  fellow,"  observed  Charley,  who 
was  himself  somewhat  addicted  to  a  similar  mode  of 
settling  disputes. 

"  More  bold  than  wise,"  replied  Grandfather ;  "  for 
complaints  wrere  carried  to  the  king,  and  Sir  William 
Phips  was  summoned  to  England  to  make  the  best 
answer  he  could.  Accordingly  he  went  to  London, 
where,  in  1695,  he  was  seized  with  a  malignant  fever, 
of  which  he  died.  JIad  he  lived  longer,  he  would 
probably  have  gone  again  in  search  of  sunken  treas 
ure,  lie  had  heard  of  a  Spanish  ship,  which  wai? 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  81 

cast  away  in  1502,  during  the  lifetime  of  Columbus. 
Bovadilla,  Roldan,  and  many  other  Spaniards  were 
lost  in  her,  together  with  the  immense  wealth  of  which 
they  had  robbed  the  South  American  kings." 

"  Why,  Grandfather,"  exclaimed  Laurence,  "  what 
magnificent  ideas  the  governor  had  !  Only  think  of 
recovering  all  that  old  treasure  which  had  lain  almost 
two  centuries  under  the  sea  !  Methiriks  Sir  William 
Pliips  ought  to  have  been  buried  in  the  ocean  when 
he  died,  so  that  he  might  have  gone  down  among  the 
sunken  ships  and  cargoes  of  treasure  which  he  was  al 
ways  dreaming  about  in  his  lifetime." 

"  He  was  buried  in  one  of  the  crowded  cemeteries  of 
London,"  said  Grandfather.  "  As  he  left  no  children, 
his  estate  was  inherited  by  his  nephew,  from  whom 
is  descended  the  present  Marquis  of  Normany,  Lord- 
Lieutenant  of  Ireland.  The  noble  Marquis  is  not 
aware,  perhaps,  that  the  prosperity  of  his  family  orig 
inated  in  the  successful  enterprise  of  a  !Nrew  England 
ship-carpenter." 
6 


CHAPTEE  III. 

"  AT  the  death  of  Sir  William  Phips,"  proceeded 
Grandfather,  "  our  chair  was  bequeathed  to  Mr.  Eze- 
kiel  Cheever,  a  famous  school-master  in  Boston.  This 
old  gentleman  came  from  London  in  1637,  and  had 
been  teaching  school  ever  since ;  so  that  there  were 
now  aged  men,  grandfathers  like  myself,  to  whom 
Master  Cheever  had  taught  their  alphabet.  He  was 
a  person  of  venerable  aspect,  and  wore  a  long  white 
beard." 

"  "Was  the  chair  placed  in  his  school  ?  "  asked  Char- 
ley. 

"  Yes,  in  his  school,"  answered  Grandfather  ;  "  and 
we  may  safely  say  that  it  had  never  before  been  re 
garded  with  such  awful  reverence, — no,  not  even  when 
the  old  governors  of  Massachusetts  sat  in  it.  Even 
you,  Charley,  my  boy,  would  have  felt  some  respect 
for  the  chair  if  you  had  seen  it  occupied  by  this  fa 
mous  schoolmaster." 

And  here  Grandfather  endeavored  to  give  his  au 
ditors  an  idea  how  matters  were  managed  in  schools 
above  a  hundred  years  ago.  As  this  will  probably  be 
an  interesting  subject  to  our  readers,  we  shall  make  a 
separate  sketch  of  it,  and  call  it 

THE    OLD-FASHIONED    SCHOOL. 

Now,  imagine  yourselves,  my  children,  in  Master 
Ezekiel  Cheever's  school-room.  It  is  a  large,  dingy 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  83 

room,  with  a  sanded  floor,  and  is  lighted  by  windows 
that  turn  on  hinges  and  have  little  diamond  shaped 
panes  of  glass.  The  scholars  sit  on  long  benches, 
with  desks  before  them.  At  one  end  of  the  room  is 
a  great  fire-place,  so  very  spacious  that  there  is  room 
enough  for  three  or  four  boys  to  stand  in  each  of  the 
chimney  corners.  This  was  the  good  old  fashion  of 
fireplaces  when  there  was  wood  enough  in  the  forests 
to  keep  people  warm  without  their  digging  into  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  for  coal. 

It  is  a  winter's  day  wrhen  we  take  our  peep  into  the 
school-room.  See  what  great  logs  of  wood  have  been 
rolled  into  the  fireplace,  and  what  a  broad,  bright 
blaze  goes  leaping  up  the  chimney  !  And  every  few 
moments  a  vast  cloud  of  smoke  is  puffed  into  the 
room,  which  sails  slowly  over  the  heads  of  the  schol 
ars,  until  it  gradually  settles  upon  the  walls  and  ceil 
ing.  They  are  blackened  with  the  smoke  of  many 
years  already. 

Next  look  at  our  old  historic  chair  !  It  is  placed, 
you  perceive,  in  the  most  comfortable  part  of  the 
room,  where  the  generous  glow  of  the  fire  is  suffi 
ciently  felt  without  being  too  intensely  hot.  How 
stately  the  old  chair  looks,  as  if  it  remembered  its 
many  famous  occupants,  but  yet  were  conscious  that 
a  greater  man  is  sitting  in  it  now  !  Do  you  see  the 
venerable  school-master,  severe  in  aspect,  with  a 
black  skullcap  on  his  head,  like  an  ancient  Puritan, 
and  the  snow  of  his  white  beard  drifting  down  to  his 
very  girdle  ?  What  boy  would  dare  to  play,  or  whis 
per,  or  even  glance  aside  from  his  book,  while  Mas 
ter  Cheever  is  on  the  look-out  behind  his  spectacles  ! 
For  such  offenders,  if  any  such  there  be,  a  rod  of 


84  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

birch  is  hanging  over  the  fire-place,  and  a  heavy 
fernle  lies  on  the  master's  desk. 

And  now  school  is  begun.  "What  a  murmur  of 
multitudinous  tongues,  like  the  whispering  leaves  of 
a  wind-stirred  oak,  as  the  scholars  con  over  their 
various  tasks !  Buz !  buz  !  buz !  Amid  just  such 
a  murmur  has  Master  Cheever  spent  above  sixty 
years ;  and  long  habit  has  made  it  as  pleasant  to  him 
as  the  hum  of  a  bee-hive  when  the  insects  are  busy  in 
the  sunshine. 

Now  a  class  in  Latin  is  called  to  recite.  Forth 
steps  a  row  of  queer-looking  little  fellows,  wearing 
square-skirted  coats  and  small-clothes,  with  buttons 
at  the  knee.  They  look  like  so  many  grandfathers 
in  their  second  childhood.  These  lads  are  to  be  sent 
to  Cambridge  and  educated  for  the  learned  profes 
sions.  Old  Master  Cheever  has  lived  so  long,  and 
seen  so  many  generations  of  school-boys  grow  up  to 
be  men,  that  now  he  can  almost  prophesy  what  sort 
of  a  man  each  boy  will  be.  One  urchin  shall  here 
after  be  a  doctor,  and  administer  pills  and  potions, 
and  stalk  gravely  through  life,  perfumed  with  assa- 
fcetida.  Another  shall  wrangle  at  the  bar,  and  fight 
his  way  to  wealth  and  honors,  and,  in  his  declining 
age,  shall  be  a  worshipful  member  of  his  Majesty's 
council.  A  third — and  he  the  master's  favorite — 
shall  be  a  worthy  successor  to  the  old  Puritan  minis 
ters  now  in  their  graves ;  he  shall  preach  with  great 
unction  and  effect,  and  leave  volumes  of  sermons,  in 
print  and  manuscript,  for  the  benefit  of  future  gen 
erations. 

But,  as  they  are  merely  school-boys  now,  their  busi 
ness  is  to  construe  Virgil.  Poor  Virgil,  whose  verses, 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR  85 

which  he  took  so  much  pains  to  polish,  have  been 
miss  canned,  and  mis-parsed,  and  mis-interpreted  by 
so  many  generations  of  idle  school-boys !  There, 
sit  down,  ye  Latinists.  Two  or  three  of  you,  I  fear, 
ire  doomed  to  feel  the  masters  ferule. 

!N~ext  comes  a  class  in  Arithmetic.  These  boys  are 
to  be  merchants,  shop-keepers,  and  mechanics  of  a 
future  period.  Hitherto  they  have  traded  only  in 
marbles  and  apples.  Hereafter  some  will  send  ves 
sels  to  England  for  broadcloths  and  all  sorts  of  manu 
factured  wares,  and  to  the  West  Indies  for  sugar,  and 
rum,  and  coffee.  Others  will  stand  behind  counters, 
and  measure  tape,  and  ribbon,  and  cambric  by  the 
yard.  Others  will  upheave  the  blacksmith's  ham 
mer,  or  drive  the  plane  over  the  carpenter's  bench, 
or  take  the  lapstone  and  the  awl  and  learn  the  trade 
of  shoemaking.  Many  will  follow  the  sea,  and  become 
bold,  rough  sea-captains. 

This  class  of  boys,  in  short,  must  supply  the  world 
with  those  active,  skilful  hands,  and  clear,  sagacious 
heads,  without  which  the  affairs  of  life  would  be 
thrown  into  confusion  by  the  theories  of  studious  and 
visionary  men.  Wherefore,  teach  them  their  multi 
plication  table,  good  Master  Cheever,  and  whip  them 
well  when  they  deserve  it ;  for  much  of  the  country's 
welfare  depends  on  these  boys. 

But,  alas  !  while  we  have  been  thinking  of  other 
matters,  Master  Cheever's  watchful  eye  has  caught 
two  boys  at  play.  ]Srow  we  shall  see  awful  times. 
The  two  malefactors  are  summoned  before  the  mas 
ter's  chair,  wherein  he  sits  with  the  terror  of  a  judge 
upon  his  brow.  Our  old  chair  is  now  a  judgment- 
seat.  Ah,  Master  Cheever  has  taken  down  that  ter- 


8G  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

rible  bircli-rod  !  Short  is  the  trial, — the  sentence 
quickly  passed, — and  now  the  judge  prepares  to  exe 
cute  it  in  person.  Thwack  !  thwack  !  thwack  !  In 
these  good  old  times,  a  school-master's  blows  were 
well  laid  on. 

See !  the  birch-rod  has  lost  several  of  its  twiga 
and  will  hardly  serve  for  another  execution.  Mercy 
on  us,  what  a  bellowing  the  urchins  make  !  My  ears 
are  almost  deafened,  though  the  clamor  comes  through 
the  far  length  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  years.  There, 
go  to  your  seats,  poor  boys ;  and  do  not  cry,  sweet 
little  Alice,  for  they  have  ceased  to  feel  the  pain  a 
long  time  since. 

And  thus  the  forenoon  passes  away.  Now  it  is 
twelve  o'clock.  The  master  looks  at  his  great  silver 
watch,  and  then,  with  tiresome  deliberation,  puts  the 
ferule  into  his  desk.  The  little  multitude  await  the 
word  of  dismissal  with  almost  irrepressible  impa 
tience. 

"  You  are  dismissed,"  sa}rs  Master  Cheever. 

The  boys  retire,  treading  softly  until  they  have 
passed  the  threshold  ;  but,  fairly  out  of  the  school 
room,  lo,  what  a  joyous  shout ! — what  a  scampering 
and  tramping  of  feet ! — what  a  sense  of  recovered  free 
dom  expressed  in  the  merry  uproar  of  all  their  voices  ! 
What  care  they  for  the  ferule  and  birch-rod  now  ? 
"Were  boys  created  merely  to  study  Latin  and  arith 
metic  ?  Xo ;  the  better  purposes  of  their  being  are 
to  sport,  to  leap,  to  run,  to  shout,  to  slide  upon  the 
ice,  to  snow-ball. 

Happy  boys  !  Enjoy  your  playtime  now,  and  come 
again  to  study  and  to  feel  the  birch-rod  and  the  ferule 
to  morrow  ;  not  till  to-morrow  ;  for  to-day  is  Thurs- 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  87 

day-lecture ;  and,  ever  since  the  settlement  of  Massa 
chusetts,  there  has  been  no  school  on  Thursday  after 
noons.  Therefore,  sport,  boys,  while  you  may,  for 
the  morrow  cometh,  with  the  birch-rod  and  the  ferule ,' 
und  after  that  another  Morrow,  with  troubles  of  its 
own. 

Now  the  master  has  set  everything  to  rights,  and  is 
ready  to  go  home  to  dinner.  Yet  he  goes  reluct 
antly.  The  old  man  has  spent  so  much  of  his  life  in 
the  smoky,  noisy,  buzzing  school-room,  that,  when  he 
has  a  holiday,  he  feels  as  if  his  place  were  lost  and 
himself  a  stranger  in  the  world.  But  forth  he  goes ; 
and  there  stands  our  old  chair,  vacant  and  solitary, 
till  good  Master  Cheever  resumes  his  seat  in  it  to 
morrow  morning. 


"  Grandfather,"  said  Charley,  "  I  wonder  whether 
the  boys  did  not  use  to  upset  the  old  chair  when  the 
schoolmaster  was  out." 

"  There  is  a  tradition,"  replied  Grandfather,  "  that 
one  of  its  arms  was  dislocated  in  some  such  manner. 
But  I  cannot  believe  that  any  school-boy  would  be 
have  so  naughtily." 

As  it  was  now  later  than  little  Alice's  usual  bed 
time,  Grandfather  broke  off  his  narrative,  promising 
to  talk  more  about  Master  Cheever  and  his  scholars 
some  other  evening. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

ACCORDINGLY,  the  next  evening,  Grandfather  ro 
sumed  the  history  of  his  beloved  chair. 

"  Master  Ezekiel  Cheever,"  said  he,  "  died  in  1707, 
after  having  taught  school  about  seventy  years.  It 
would  require  a  pretty  good  scholar  in  arithmetic  to 
tell  how  many  stripes  he  had  inflicted,  and  how 
many  birch-rods  he  had  worn  out,  during  all  that 
time,  in  his  fatherly  tenderness  for  his  pupils.  Al 
most  all  the  great  men  of  that  period,  and  for  many 
years  back,  had  been  whipt  into  eminence  by  Master 
Cheever.  Moreover,  he  had  written  a  Latin  Acci 
dence,  which  wTas  used  in  schools  more  than  half  a 
century  after  his  death  ;  so  that  the  good  old  man, 
even  in  his  grave,  was  still  the  cause  of  trouble  and 
stripes  to  idle  school-boys." 

Grandfather  proceeded  to  say,  that,  when  Master 
Cheever  died,  he  bequeathed  the  chair  to  the  most 
learned  man  that  was  educated  at  his  school,  or  that 
had  ever  been  born  in  America.  This  was  the  re 
nowned  Cotton  Mather,  minister  of  the  Old  Korth 
Church  in  Boston. 

"  And  author  of  the  Magnalia,  Grandfather,  which 
we  sometimes  see  you  reading,"  said  Laurence. 

"  Yes,  Laurence,  "  replied  Grandfather.  "  The 
Magnalia  is  a  strange,  pedantic  history,  in  which  true 
events  and  real  personages  move  before  the  reader 
with  the  dreamy  aspect  which  they  wore  in  Cotton 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  89 

Mather's  singular  mind.  This  huge  volume,  how 
ever,  was  written  and  published  before  our  chair 
came  into  his  possession.  But,  as  he  was  the  author 
of  more  books  than  there  are  days  in  the  year,  we 
may  conclude  that  he  wrote  a  great  deal  while  sitting 
in  this  chair." 

"  I  am  tired  of  these  school-masters  and  learned 
men,"  said  Charley.  "  I  wish  some  stirring  man, 
that  knew  how  to  do  something  in  the  world,  like  Sir 
William  Phips,  would  sit  in  the  chair." 

"  Such  men  seldom  have  leisure  to  sit  quietly  in  a 
chair,"  said  Grandfather.  "  We  must  make  the  best 
of  such  people  as  we  have." 

As  Cotton  Mather  was  a  very  distinguished  man, 
Grandfather  took  some  pains  to  give  the  children  a 
lively  conception  of  his  character.  Over  the  door  of 
his  library  were  painted  these  words — BE  SHORT, — as 
a  warning  to  visitors  that  they  must  not  do  the  world 
so  much  harm  as  needlessly  to  interrupt  this  great 
man's  wonderful  labors.  On  entering  the  room  yon 
would  probably  behold  it  crowded,  and  piled,  and 
heaped  with  books.  There  were  huge,  ponderous 
folios,  and  quartos,  and  little  duodecimos,  in  English, 
Latin,  Greek,  Hebrew,  Chaldaic,  and  all  other  lan 
guages  that  either  originated  at  the  confusion  of 
Babel  or  have  since  come  into  use. 

All  these  books,  no  doubt,  were  tossed  about  in 
confusion,  thus  forming  a  visible  emblem  of  the  man 
ner  in  which  their  contents  were  crowded  into  Cotton 
Mather's  brain.  And  in  the  middle  of  the  room 
stood  a  table,  on  which,  besides  printed  volumes,  were 
strewn  manuscript  sermons,  historical  tracts,  and  po 
litical  pamphlets,  all  written  in  such  a  queer,  blind, 


00  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

crabbed,  fantastical  hand,  that  a  writing-master 
would  have  gone  raving  mad  at  the  sight  of  them. 
By  this  table  stood  Grandfather's  chair,  which  seemed 
to  have  contracted  an  air  of  deep  erudition,  as  if  its 
cushion  were  stuffed  with  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew, 
and  other  hard  matters. 

In  this  chair,  from  one  year's  end  to  another,  sat 
that  prodigious  bookworm,  Cotton  Mather,  some 
times  devouring  a  great  book,  and  sometimes  scrib 
bling  one  as  big.  In  Grandfather's  younger  days 
there  used  to  be  a  wax  figure  of  him  in  one  of  the 
Boston  museums,  representing  a  solemn,  darkecl- 
visaged  person,  in  a  minister's  black  gown,  and  with 
a  black-letter  volume  before  him. 

"  It  is  difficult,  my  children,"  observed  Grandfather, 
"  to  make  you  understand  such  a  character  as  Cotton 
Mather's,  in  whom  there  was  so  much  good,  and  yet 
so  many  failings  and  frailties.  Undoubtedly  he  was 
a  pious  man.  Often  he  kept  fasts ;  and  once,  for 
three  wThole  days,  he  allowed  himself  not  a  morsel 
of  food,  but  spent  the  time  in  prayer  and  religious 
meditation.  Many  alive-long  night  did  he  watch  and 
pray.  These  fasts  and  vigils  made  him  meagre  and 
haggard,  and  probably  caused  him  to  appear  as  if  he 
hardly  belonged  to  the  world." 

"  Was  not  the  witchcraft  delusion  partly  caused  by 
Cotton  Mather  ? "  inquired  Laurence. 

"  He  was  the  chief  agent  of  the  mischief,"  answered 
Grandfather  ;  "  but  we  will  not  suppose  that  he  acted 
otherwise  than  conscientiously.  He  believed  that 
there  were  evil  spirits  all  about  the  world.  Doubtless 
he  imagined  that  they  were  hidden  in  the  corners  and 
crevices  of  his.  library,  and  that  they  peeped  out  from 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  91 

among  the  leaves  of  many  of  his  books,  as  he  turned 
them  over,  at  midnight.  He  supposed  that  these  un 
lovely  demons  were  everywhere,  in  the  sunshine  as 
well  as  in  the  darkness,  and  that  they  were  hidden  in 
men's  hearts,  and  stole  into  their  most  secret  thoughts." 

Here  Grandfather  was  interrupted  by  little  Alice, 
who  hid  her  face  in  his  lap,  and  murmured  a  wish 
that  he  would  not  talk  any  more  about  Cotton  Mather 
and  the  evil  spirits.  Grandfather  kissed  her,  and 
told  her  that  angels  were  the  only  spirits  whom  she 
had  anything  to  do  with.  He  then  spoke  of  the 
public  affairs  of  the  period. 

A  new  war  between  France  and  England  had  broken 
out  in  1702,  and  had  been  raging  ever  since.  In  the 
course  of  it,  New  England  suffered  much  injury  from 
the  French  and  Indians,  who  often  came  through  the 
woods  from  Canada  and  assaulted  the  frontier  towns. 
Villages  were  sometimes  burned,  and  the  inhabitants 
slaughtered,  within  a  day's  ride  of  Boston.  The  peo 
ple  of  New  England  had  a  bitter  hatred  against  the 
French,  not  only  for  the  mischief  which  they  did  with 
their  own  hands,  but  because  they  incited  the  Indians 
to  hostility. 

The  New  Englanders  knew  that  they  could  never 
dwell  in  security  until  the  provinces  of  France  should 
be  subdued  and  brought  under  the  English  govern 
ment.  They  frequently,  in  time  of  war,  undertook 
military  expeditions  against  Acadia  and  Canada,  and 
sometimes  besieged  the  fortresses  by  which  those  ter 
ritories  were  defended.  But  the  most  earnest  wish  of 
their  hearts  was  to  take  Quebec,  and  so  get  possession 
of  the  whole  province  of  Canada.  Sir  William  Phips 
had  once  attempted  it,  but  without  success. 


92  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

Fleets  and  soldiers  were  often  sent  from  England  to 
assist  the  colonists  in  their  warlike  undertakings.  In 
1710  Port  Royal,  a  fortress  of  Acadia,  was  taken  by 
the  English.  The  next  year,  in  the  month  of  June,  a 
fleet,  commanded  by  Admiral  Sir  Ilovenden  Walker, 
arrived  in  Boston  Harbor.  On  board  of  this  fleet  was 
the  English  General  Hill,  with  seven  regiments  of 
soldiers,  who  had  been  fighting  under  the  Duke  of 
Marlborough  in  Flanders.  The  government  of  Mas 
sachusetts  wras  called  upon  to  find  provisions  for  the 
army  and  fleet,  and  to  raise  more  men  to  assist  in 
taking  Canada. 

"What  with  recruiting  and  drilling  of  soldiers,  there 
was  now  nothing  but  warlike  bustle  in  the  streets  of 
Boston.  The  drum  and  fife,  the  rattle  of  arms,  and 
the  shouts  of  boys  were  heard  from  morning  till  night. 
In  about  a  month  the  fleet  set  sail,  carrying  four  regi 
ments  from  Xew  England  and  Kew  York,  besides  the 
English  soldiers.  The  whole  army  amounted  to  at 
least  seven  thousand  men.  They  steered  for  the 
mouth  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence. 

"  Cotton  Mather  prayed  most  fervently  for  their 
success,"  continued  Grandfather,  "  both  in  his  pulpit 
and  when  he  kneeled  down  in  the  solitude  of  his 
library,  resting  his  face  on  our  old  chair.  But  Provi 
dence  ordered  the  result  otherwise.  In  a  few  weeks 
tidings  were  received  that  eight  or  nine  of  the  vessels 
had  been  wrecked  in  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  that  above 
a  thousand  drowned  soldiers  had  been  washed  ashore 
on  the  banks  of  that  mighty  river.  After  this  mis 
fortune  Sir  Hovenden  Walker  set  sail  for  England  ; 
and  many  pious  people  began  to  think  it  a  sin  even  to 
wish  for  the  conquest  of  Canada." 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR..  93 

"  I  would  never  give  it  up  so,"  cried  Charley. 

"  Nor  did  they,  as  we  shall  see,"  replied  Grand 
father.  "  However,  no  more  attempts  were  made 
during  this  war,  which  came  to  a  close  in  1713.  The 
people  of  New  England  were  probably  glad  of  some 
repose;  for  their  young  men  had  been  made  soldiers, 
till  many  of  them  were  fit  for  nothing  else.  And  those 
who  remained  at  home  had  been  heavily  taxed  to  pay 
for  the  arms,  ammunition,  fortifications,  and  all  the 
other  endless  expenses  of  a  war.  There  was  great 
need  of  the  prayers  of  Cotton  Mather  and  of  all  pious 
men,  not  only  on  account  of  the  sufferings  of  the  peo 
ple,  but  because  the  old  moral  and  religious  character 
of  New  England  was  in  danger  of  being  utterly  lost." 

"  How  glorious  it  would  have  been,"  remarked  Lau 
rence,  "  if  our  forefathers  could  have  kept  the  country 
unspotted  with  blood." 

"Yes,"  said  Grandfather;  "but  there  was  a  stern, 
warlike  spirit  in  them  from  the  beginning.  They 
seem  never  to  have  thought  of  questioning  either  the 
morality  or  piety  of  war." 

The  next  event  which  Grandfather  spoke  of  was 
one  that  Cotton  Mather,  as  well  as  most  of  the  other 
inhabitants  of  New  England,  heartily  rejoiced  at. 
This  was  the  accession  of  the  Elector  of  Hanover  to 
the  throne  of  England,  in  1714,  on  the  death  of  Queen 
Anne.  Hitherto  the  people  had  been  in  continual 
dread  that  the  male  line  of  the  Stuarts,  who  were  de 
scended  from  the  beheaded  King  Charles  and  the  ban 
ished  King  James,  would  be  restored  to  the  throne. 
In  that  case,  as  the  Stuart  family  were  Roman  Catho 
lics,  it  was  supposed  that  they  would  attempt  to  es 
tablish  their  own  religion  throughout  the  British  do- 


94  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

minions.  But  the  Elector  of  Hanover  and  all  Iris  race 
were  Protestants ;  so  that  now  the  descendants  of  the 
old  Puritans  were  relieved  from  many  fears  and  dis 
quietudes. 

"  The  importance  of  this  event,"  observed  Grand 
father,  "  was  a  thousand  times  greater  than  that  of  a 
Presidential  Election  in  our  own  days.  If  the  people 
dislike  their  President,  they  may  get  rid  of  him  in 
four  years ;  whereas  a  dynasty  of  kings  may  wear  the 
crown  for  an  unlimited  period." 

The  German  elector  was  proclaimed  king  from  the 
balcony  of  the  town-house  in  Boston,  by  the  title  of 
George  the  First ;  while  the  trumpets  sounded,  and 
the  people  cried  Amen.  That  night  the  town  was 
illuminated  ;  and  Cotton  Mather  threw  aside  book 
and  pen,  and  left  Grandfather's  chair  vacant,  while 
he  walked  hither  and  thither  to  witness  the  rejoic- 


CHAPTEK  Y. 

"  COTTON  MATHER,"  continued  Grandfather,  "  was 
a  bitter  enemy  to  Governor  Dudley  ;  and  nobody  ex 
ulted  more  than  he  when  that  crafty  politician  was 
removed  from  the  government,  and  succeeded  by 
Colonel  Shute.  This  took  place  in  1716.  The  new 
governor  had  been  an  officer  in  the  renowned  Duke 
of  Marlborough's  army,  and  had  fought  in  some  of 
the  great  battles  in  Flanders." 

"  Now  I  hope,"  said  Charley,  "  we  shall  hear  of 
his  doing  great  things." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  be  disappointed,  Charley," 
answered  Grandfather.  "  It  is  true  that  Colonel 
Shute  had  probably  never  led  so  unquiet  a  life  while 
fighting  the  French  as  he  did  now,  while  governing  a 
province  of  Great  Britain.  But  his  troubles  consisted 
almost  entirely  of  dissensions  with  the  Legislature. 
The  king  had  ordered  him  to  lay  claim  to  a  fixed 
salary  ;  but  the  representatives  of  the  people  insisted 
upon  paying  him  only  such  sums  from  year  to  year 
as  they  saw  fit." 

Grandfather  here  explained  some  of  the  circum 
stances  that  made  the  situation  of  a  colonial  governor 
so  difficult  and  irksome.  There  was  not  the  same  feel 
ing  towards  the  chief  magistrate  now  that  had  existed 
while  he  was  chosen  by  the  free  suffrages  of  the  peo 
ple.  It  was  felt  that  as  the  king  appointed  the  gov 
ernor,  and  as  he  held  his  office  during  the  king's 


06  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR 

pleasure,  it  would  be  his  great  object  to  please  the 
king.  But  the  people  thought  that  a  governor 
ought  to  have  nothing  in  view  but  the  best  interests 
of  those  whom  he  governed. 

"  The  governor,"  remarked  Grandfather,  u  had  two 
masters  to  serve, — the  king  who  appointed  him ;  and 
the  people,  on  whom  he  depended  for  his  pay.  Few 
men  in  this  position  would  have  ingenuity  enough  to 
satisfy  either  party.  Colonel  Sliute,  though  a  good- 
natured,  well-meaning  man,  succeeded  so  ill  with  the 
people,  that,  in  1722,  he  suddenly  went  away  to  Eng 
land  and  made  complaint  to  King  George.  In  the 
meantime  Lieutenant-Governor  Dummer  directed  the 
affairs  of  the  province,  and  carried  on  a  long  and 
bloody  war  with  the  Indians." 

"  But  where  was  our  chair  all  this  time  ?  "  asked 
Clara. 

"  It  still  remained  in  Cotton  Mather's  library,"  re 
plied  Grandfather  ;  "  and  I  must  not  omit  to  tell  you 
an  incident  which  is  very  much  to  the  honor  of  this 
celebrated  man.  It  is  the  more  proper,  too,  that  you 
should  hear  it,  because  it  will  show  you  what  a  terri 
ble  calamity  the  smallpox  was  to  our  forefathers. 
The  history  of  the  province  (and,  of  course,  the  his 
tory  of  our  chair)  would  be  incomplete  without  par 
ticular  mention  of  it." 

Accordingly  Grandfather  told  the  children  a  story, 
to  which,  for  want  of  a  better  title,  we  shall  give 
that  of 

THE    REJECTED   BLESSING. 

One  day,  in  1721,  Doctor  Cotton  Mather  sat  in  his 
library  reading  a  book  that  had  been  published  by 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  97 

the  Royal  Society  of  London.  But  every  few  mo 
ments  he  laid  the  book  upon  the  table,  and  leaned 
back  in  Grandfather's  chair  with  an  aspect  of  deep 
care  and  disquietude.  There  were  certain  things 
which  troubled  him  exceedingly,  so  that  he  could 
hardly  fix  his  thoughts  upon  what  he  read. 

It  was  now  a  gloomy  time  in  Boston.  That  terri 
ble  disease,  the  smallpox,  had  recently  made  its  ap 
pearance  in  the  town.  Ever  since  the  first  settlement 
of  the  country  this  awful  pestilence  had  come  at  in 
tervals,  and  swept  away  multitudes  of  the  inhabi 
tants.  Whenever  it  commenced  its  ravages,  nothing 
seemed  to  stay  its  progress  until  there  were  no  more 
victims  for  it  to  seize  upon.  Oftentimes  hundreds  of 
people  at  once  lay  groaning  with  its  agony  ;  and  when 
it  departed,  its  deep  footsteps  were  always  to  be 
traced  in  many  graves. 

The  people  never  felt  secure  from  this  calamity. 
Sometimes,  perhaps,  it  was  brought  into  the  country 
by  a  poor  sailor,  who  had  caught  the  infection  in  for 
eign  parts,  and  came  hither  to  die  and  to  be  the  cause 
of  many  deaths.  Sometimes,  no  doubt,  it  followed 
in  the  train  of  the  pompous  governors  when  they 
came  over  from  England.  Sometimes  the  disease  lay 
hidden  in  the  cargoes  of  ships,  among  silks,  and  bro 
cades,  and  other  costly  merchandise  which  was  im 
ported  for  the  rich  people  to  wear.  And  sometimes 
it  started  up  seemingly  of  its  own  accord,  and  nobody 
could  tell  whence  it  came.  The  physician,  being 
called  to  attend  the  sick  person,  would  look  at  him, 
and  say: — "It  is  the  smallpox!  let  the  patient  be 
carried  to  the  hospital." 

And  now  this  dreadful  sickness  had  shown  itself 
7 


98  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAI3. 

again  in  Boston.  Cotton  Mather  was  greatly  afflicted 
for  the  sake  of  the  whole  province.  He  had  chil 
dren,  too,  who  were  exposed  to  the  danger.  At  that 
very  moment  he  heard  the  voice  of  his  youngest 
Bon,  for  whom  his  heart  was  moved  with  apprehen 
sion . 

"  Alas !  I  fear  for  that  poor  child,"  said  Cotton 
Mather  to  himself.  "  What  shall  I  do  for  my  son 
Samuel  ? " 

Again  he  attempted  to  drive  away  these  thoughts 
by  taking  up  the  book  which  he  had  been  reading. 
And  now,  all  of  a  sudden,  his  attention  became  fixed. 
The  book  contained  a  printed  letter  that  an  Italian 
physician  had  written  upon  the  very  subject  about 
which  Cotton  Mather  was  so  anxiously  meditating. 
He  ran  his  eye  eagerly  over  the  pages  ;  and,  behold  ! 
a  method  was  disclosed  to  him  by  which  the  smallpox 
might  be  robbed  of  its  worst  terrors.  Such  a  method 
was  known  in  Greece.  The  physicians  of  Turkey, 
too,  those  long-bearded  Eastern  sages,  had  been  ac 
quainted  with  it  for  many  years.  The  negroes  of 
Africa,  ignorant  as  they  were,  had  likewise  practised 
it,  and  thus  had  shown  themselves  wiser  than  the 
white  men. 

"  Of  a  truth,"  ejaculated  Cotton  Mather,  clasping 
his  hands  and  looking  up  to  heaven,  "  it  was  a  merci 
ful  Providence  that  brought  this  book  under  mine 
eye  !  I  will  procure  a  consultation  of  physicians,  and 
see  whether  this  wondrous  inoculation  may  not  stay 
the  progress  of  the  destroyer." 

So  he  arose  from  Grandfather's  chair  and  went  out 
of  the  library.  Near  the  door  he  met  his  son  Sam 
uel,  who  seemed  downcast  and  out  of  spirits.  The 


GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR.  99 

boy  had  heard,  probably,  that  some  of  his  playmates 
were  taken  ill  with  the  smallpox.  But,  as  his  father 
looked  cheerfully  at  him,  Samuel  took  courage,  trust 
ing  that  either  the  wisdom  of  so  learned  a  minister 
would  find  some  remedy  for  the  danger,  or  else 
that  his  prayers  would  secure  protection  from  on 
high. 

Meanwhile  Cotton  Mather  took  his  staff  and  three- 
cornered  hat  and  walked  about  the  streets,  calling  at 
the  houses  of  all  the  physicians  in  Boston.  They 
were  a  very  wise  fraternity  ;  and  their  huge  wigs, 
and  black  dresses,  and  solemn  visages  made  their  wis 
dom  appear  even  profounder  than  it  was.  One  after 
another  he  acquainted  them  with  the  discovery  which 
he  had  hit  upon. 

But  the  grave  and  sagacious  personages  would 
scarcely  listen  to  him.  The  oldest  doctor  in  town 
contented  himself  with  remarking  that  no  such 
thing  as  inoculation  was  mentioned  by  Galen  or  Hip 
pocrates  ;  and  it  was  impossible  that  modern  physi 
cians  should  be  wiser  than  those  old  savages.  A  sec 
ond  held  up  his  hands  in  dumb  astonishment  and 
horror  at  the  madness  of  what  Cotton  Mather  pro 
posed  to  do.  A  third  told  him,  in  pretty  plain  terms, 
that  he  knew  not  what  he  was  talking  about.  A. 
fourth  requested,  in  the  name  of  the  whole  medical 
fraternity,  that  Cotton  Mather  would  confine  his  at 
tention  to  people's  souls,  and  leave  the  physicians  to 
take  care  of  their  bodies. 

In  short,  there  was  but  a  single  doctor  among  them 
all  who  would  grant  the  poor  minister  so  much  as  a 
patient  hearing.  This  was  Doctor  Zabdiel  Boylston. 
He  looked  into  the  matter  like  a  man  of  sense,  and 


100  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

finding,  beyond  a  doubt,  that  inoculation  had  rescued 
many  from  death,  he  resolved  to  try  the  experiment 
in  his  own  family. 

And  so  he  did.  But  when  the  other  physicians 
heard  of  it  they  arose  in  great  fury  and  began  a  war 
of  words,  written,  printed,  and  spoken,  against  Cot 
ton  Mather  and  Doctor  Boylston.  To  hear  them  talk, 
you  would  have  supposed  that  these  two  harmless 
arid  benevolent  men  had  plotted  the  ruin  of  the 
country. 

The  people,  also,  took  the  alarm.  Many,  who 
thought  themselves  more  pious  than  their  neighbors, 
contended  that,  if  Providence  had  ordained  them  to 
die  of  the  smallpox,  it  was  sinful  to  aim  at  prevent 
ing  it.  The  strangest  reports  were  in  circulation. 
So*  ic  said  that  Doctor  Boylston  had  contrived  a 
method  for  conveying  the  gout,  rheumatism,  sick- 
headache,  asthma,  and  all  other  diseases  from  one 
person  to  another,  and  diffusing  them  through  the 
whole  community.  Others  flatly  affirmed  that  the 
Evil  One  had  got  possession  of  Cotton  Mather,  and 
was  at  the  bottom  of  the  whole  business. 

You  must  observe,  children,  that  Cotton  Mather's 
fellow  citizens  were  generally  inclined  to  doubt  the 
wisdom  of  any  measure  which  he  might  propose  to 
them.  They  recollected  how  he  had  led  them  astray 
in  the  old  witchcraft  delusion  ;  and  now,  if  he  thought 
and  acted  ever  so  wisely,  it  was  difficult  for  him  to 
get  the  credit  of  it. 

The  people's  wrath  grew  so  hot  at  his  attempt  to 
guard  them  from  the  smallpox  that  he  could  not  walk 
the  streets  in  peace.  Whenever  the  venerable  form 
of  the  old  minister,  meagre  and  haggard  with  fasta 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  101 


and  vigils,  was  seen  approaching,  Iwsses,  were  .Ijeard,,, 
and  shouts  of  derision,  and  scornful  -and(  V-itter  ;I'augi<- 
ter.  The  women  snatched  away  their  children  from 
his  path,  lest  he  should  do  them  a  mischief.  Still, 
however,  bending  his  head  meekly,  and  perhaps 
stretching  out  his  hands  to  bless  those  who  reviled 
him,  he  pursued  his  way.  But  the  tears  came  into 
his  eyes  to  think  how  blindly  the  people  rejected  the 
means  of  safety  that  were  offered  them. 

Indeed,  there  were  melancholy  sights  enough  in  the 
streets  of  Boston  to  draw  forth  the  tears  of  a  compas 
sionate  man.  Over  the  door  of  almost  every  dwelling 
a  red  flag  was  fluttering  in  the  air.  This  was  the  sig 
nal  that  the  smallpox,  had  entered  the  house  and  at 
tacked  some  member  of  the  family ;  or  perhaps  the 
whole  family,  old  and  young,  were  struggling  at  once 
with  the  pestilence.  Friends  and  relatives,  when  they 
met  one  another  in  the  streets,  would  hurry  onward 
without  a  grasp  of  the  hand  or  scarcely  a  word  of 
greeting,  lest  they  should  catch  or  communicate  the 
contagion  ;  and  often  a  coffin  was  borne  hastily 
along. 

"  Alas,  alas ! "  said  Cotton  Mather  to  himself, 
"  what  shall  be  done  for  this  poor,  misguided  people  ? 
Oh  that  Providence  would  open  their  eyes,  and  enable 
them  to  discern  good  from  evil !  " 

So  furious,  however,  were  the  people,  that  they 
threatened  vengeance  against  any  person  who  should 
dare  to  practise  inoculation,  though  it  were  only  in  his 
own  family.  This  was  a  hard  case  for  Cotton  Mather, 
who  saw  no  other  way  to  rescue  his  poor  child  Samuel 
from  the  disease.  But  he  resolved  to  save  him,  e^en 
if  his  house  should  be  burned  over  his  head. 


102  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

•  "J  ,wll  not  be  turned  aside,"  said  lie.  "  My  towns- 
'  sfreh  'snail  cec  thai  I  have  faith  in  this  thing,  when  I 
make  the  experiment  on  my  beloved  son,  whose  life 
is  dearer  to  me  than  my  own.  And  when  I  have 
saved  Samuel,  perad venture  they  will  be  persuaded  to 
save  themselves." 

Accordingly  Samuel  was  inoculated  ;  and  so  was 
Mr.  Walter,  a  son-in  law  of  Cotton  Mather.  Doctor 
Boylston,  likewise,  inoculated  many  persons ;  and 
while  hundreds  died  who  had  caught  the  contagion 
from  the  garments  of  the  sick,  almost  all  were  pre 
served  who  followed  the  wise  physician's  advice. 

But  the  people  were  not  yet  convinced  of  their 
mistake.  One  night  a  destructive  little  instrument, 
called  a  hand-grenade,  was  thrown  into  Cotton 
Mather's  window,  and  rolled  under  Grandfather's 
chair.  It  was  supposed  to  be  filled  with  gunpowder, 
the  explosion  of  which  would  have  blown  the  poor 
minister  to  atoms.  But  the  best  informed  historians 
are  of  opinion  that  the  grenade  contained  only 
brimstone  and  assafoetida,  and  was  meant  to  plague 
Cotton  Mather  with  a  very  evil  perfume. 

This  is  no  strange  thing  in  human  experience.  Men 
who  attempt  to  do  the  world  more  good  than  the  world 
is  able  entirely  to  comprehend  are  almost  invariably 
held  in  bad  odour.  But  yet,  if  the  wise  and  good  man 
can  wait  awhile,  either  the  present  generation  or  pos- 
cerity  will  do  him  justice.  So  it  proved  in  the  case 
which  we  have  been  speaking  of.  In  after  years,  when 
inoculation  was  universally  practised,  and  thousands 
were  saved  from  death  by  it,  the  people  remembered 
old  Cotton  Mather,  then  sleeping  in  his  grave.  They 
acknowledged  that  the  very  thing  for  which  they  had 


GRANDFATHER'S  CIIAIR.  103 

so  reviled  and  persecuted  him  was  the  best  and  wisest 
thing  he  ever  did. 


"  Grandfather,  this  is  not  an  agreeable  story,"  ob 
served  Clara. 

"  No,  Clara,"  replied  Grandfather.  "  But  it  is  right 
that  you  should  know  what  a  dark  shadow  this  disease 
threw  over  the  times  of  our  forefathers.  And  now,  if 
you  wish  to  learn  more  about  Cotton  Mather,  you 
must  read  his  biography,  written  by  Mr.  Peabody,  of 
Springfield.  You  will  find  it  very  entertaining  and 
instructive  ;  but  perhaps  the  writer  is  somewhat  too 
harsh  in  his  judgment  of  this  singular  man.  He  es 
timates  him  fairly,  indeed,  and  understands  him  well ; 
but  he  unriddles  his  character  rather  by  acuteness  than 
by  sympathy.  Kow,  his  life  should  have  been  written 
by  one  who,  knowing  all  his  faults,  would  nevertheless 
love  him." 

So  Grandfather  made  an  end  of  Cotton  Mather,  tell 
ing  his  auditors  that  he  died  in  1728,  at  the  age  of 
sixty  five,  and  bequeathed  the  chair  to  Elisha  Cooke. 
This  gentleman  was  a  famous  advocate  of  the  people's 
rights. 

The  same  year  William  Burnet,  a  son  of  the  cele 
brated  Bishop  Burnet,  arrived  in  Boston  with  the  coin- 
mission  of  governor.  He  was  the  first  that  had  been 
appointed  since  the  departure  of  Colonel  Shute.  Gov 
ernor  Burnet  took  up  his  residence  with  Mr.  Cooke 
while  the  Province  House  was  undergoing  repairs. 
During  this  period  he  was  always  complimented  with 
a  seat  in  Grandfather's  chair  ;  and  so  comfortable  did 
lie  find  it,  that,  on  removing  to  the  Province  House, 


104  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

he  could  not  bear  to  leave  it  behind  him.     Mr.  Cooke, 
therefore,  requested  his  acceptance  of  it. 

"  I  should  think,"  said  Laurence,  "  that  the  people 
would  have  petitioned  the  king  always  to  appoint  a 
native-born  New-Englander  to  govern  them." 

"  Undoubtedly  it  was  a  grievance,"  answered  Grand 
father,  "  to  see  men  placed  in  this  station  who  perhaps 
had  neither  talents  nor  virtues  to  fit  them  for  it,  and 
who  certainly  could  have  no  natural  affection  for  the 
country.  The  king  generally  bestowed  the  governor 
ships  of  the  American  colonies  upon  needy  noblemen, 
or  hangers-on  at  court,  or  disbanded  officers.  The  peo 
ple  knew  that  such  persons  would  be  very  likely  to 
make  the  good  of  the  country  subservient  to  the  wishes 
of  the  king.  The  Legislature,  therefore,  endeavored 
to  keep  as  much  power  as  possible  in  their  own  hands, 
by  refusing  to  settle  a  fixed  salary  upon  the  governors. 
It  was  thought  better  to  pay  them  according  to  their 
deserts." 

"Did  Governor  Burriet  work  well  for  his  money  ?  " 
asked  Charley. 

Grandfather  could  not  avoid  smiling  at  the  simplicity 
of  Charley's  question.  Nevertheless,  it  put  the  matter 
in  a  very  plain  point  of  view. 

He  then  described  the  character  of  Governor  Bur- 
net,  representing  him  as  a  good  scholar,  possessed  of 
much  ability,  and  likewise  of  unspotted  integrity,  ilis 
story  affords  a  striking  example  how  unfortunate  it  is 
for  a  man,  who  is  placed  as  ruler  over  a  country,  to  be 
compelled  to  aim  at  anything  but  the  good  of  the 
people.  Governor  Burnet  was  so  chained  down  by  his 
instructions  from  the  king  that  he  could  not  act  as  he 
might  otherwise  have  wished .  Consequently,  his  whole 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  105 

term  of  office  was  wasted  in  quarrels  with  the  legis 
lature. 

"  I  am  afraid,  children,"  said  Grandfather,  "  that 
Governor  Burnet  found  hut  little  rest  or  comfort  in 
our  old  chair.  Here  he  used  to  sit,  dressed  in  a  coat 
which  was  made  of  rough,  shaggy  cloth  outside,  hut 
of  smooth  velvet  within.  It  was  said  that  his  own 
character  resembled  that  coat;  for  his  outward  man 
ner  was  rough,  but  his  inward  disposition  soft  and 
kind.  It  is  a  pity  that  such  a  man  could  not  have 
been  kept  free  from  trouble.  But  so  harassing  were 
his  disputes  with  the  representatives  of  the  people  that 
he  fell  into  a  fever,  of  which  he  died  in  1729.  The 
legislature  had  refused  him  a  salary  while  alive ;  but 
they  appropriated  money  enough  to  give  him  a  splendid 
and  pompous  funeral. 

And  now  Grandfather  perceived  that  little  Alice 
had  fallen  fast  asleep,  with  her  head  upon  his  foot 
stool.  Indeed,  as  Clara  observed,  she  had  been  sleeping 
from  the  time  of  Sir  Hovenden  Walker's  expedition 
against  Quebec  until  the  death  of  Governor  Burnet, 
— a  period  of  about  eighteen  years.  And  yet,  after  so 
long  a  nap,  sweet  little  Alice  was  a  golden-haired 
child  of  scarcely  five  years  old. 

"  It  puts  me  in  mind,"  said  Laurence,  "  of  the  story 
of  the  enchanted  princess,  who  slept  many  a  hundred 
years,  and  awoke  as  young  and  beautiful  as  ever." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  FEW  evenings  afterwards,  cousin  Clara  happened 
to  inquire  of  Grandfather  whether  the  old  chair  had 
never  been  present  at  a  ball.  At  the  same  time  little 
Alice  brought  forward  a  doll,  with  whom  she  had  been 
holding  a  long  conversation. 

"  See,  Grandfather  !  "  cried  she.  "  Did  such  a 
pretty  lady  as  this  ever  sit  in  your  great  chair  ?  " 

These  questions  led  Grandfather  to  talk  about  the 
fashions  and  manners  which  now  began  to  be  intro 
duced  from  England  into  the  provinces.  The  sim 
plicity  of  the  good  old  Puritan  times  was  fast  disap 
pearing.  This  was  partly  owing  to  the  increasing 
number  and  wealth  of  the  inhabitants,  and  to  the  ad 
ditions  which  they  continually  received  by  the  arrival 
and  settlement  of  people  from  beyond  the  sea. 

Another  cause  of  a  pompous  and  artificial  mode  of 
life,  among  those  who  could  afford  it,  was,  that  the 
example  was  set  by  the  royal  governors.  Under  the 
old  charter,  the  governors  were  the  representatives  of 
the  people,  and  therefore  their  way  of  living  had  prob 
ably  been  marked  by  a  popular  simplicity.  But  now, 
as  they  represented  the  person  of  the  king,  they 
thought  it  necessary  to  preserve  the  dignity  of  their 
station  by  the  practice  of  high  and  gorgeous  cere 
monials.  And,  besides,  the  profitable  offices  under 
the  government  were  filled  by  men  who  had  lived  in 
London,  and  had  there  contracted  fashionable  and 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  107 

luxurious  habits  of  living  which  they  would  not  now 
lay  aside.  The  wealthy  people  of  the  province  imi 
tated  them  ;  and  thus  began  a  general  change  in  social 
life. 

"  So,  my  dear  Clara,"  said  Grandfather,  "  after  our 
chair  had  entered  the  Province  House,  it  must  often 
have  been  present  at  balls  and  festivals;  though  I 
cannot  give  you  a  description  of  any  particular  one. 
But  I  doubt  not  that  they  were  very  magnificent ;  and 
slaves  in  gorgeous  liveries  waited  on  the  guests,  and 
offered  them  wine  in  goblets  of  massive  silver." 

"Were  there  slaves  in  those  days!"  exclaimed  Clara. 

"  Yes,  black  slaves  and  white,"  replied  Grandfather. 
"  Our  ancestors  not  only  brought  negroes  from  Africa, 
but  Indians  from  South  America,  and  white  people 
from  Ireland.  These  last  were  sold,  not  for  life,  but 
for  a  certain  number  of  years,  in  order  to  pay  the  ex 
penses  of  their  voyage  across  the  Atlantic.  Nothing 
was  more  common  than  to  see  a  lot  of  likely  Irish 
girls  advertised  for  sale  in  the  newspapers.  As  for 
the  little  negro  babies,  they  were  offered  to  be  given 
away  like  young  kittens." 

"  Perhaps  Alice  would  have  liked  one  to  play  with, 
instead  of  her  doll,"  said  Charley,  laughing. 

But  little  Alice  clasped  the  waxen  doll  closer  to  her 
bosom. 

"Now,  as  for  this  pretty  doll,  my  little  Alice,"  said 
Grandfather,  "  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  what  splen 
did  dresses  the  ladies  wore  in  those  times.  They  had 
silks,  and  satins,  and  damasks,  and  brocades,  and  high 
head-dresses,  and  all  sorts  of  fine  tilings.  And  they 
used  to  wear  hooped-petticoats  of  such  enormous  size 
that  it  was  quite  a  journey  to  walk  round  them." 


108  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

"  And  how  did  the  gentlemen  dress  ? ".  asked  Char« 
ley. 

"  With  full  as  much  magnificence  as  the  ladies," 
answered  Grandfather.  "  For  their  holiday  suits 
they  had  coats  of  figured  velvet,  crimson,  green,  blue, 
and  all  other  gay  colors,  embroidered  with  gold  or 
silver  lace.  Their  waistcoats,  which  were  five  times  as 
large  as  modern  ones,  were  very  splendid.  Sometimes 
the  whole  waistcoat,  which  came  down  almost  to  the 
knees,  was  made  of  gold  brocade." 

"  Why,  the  wearer  must  have  shone  like  a  golden 
image  !  "  said  Clara. 

"  And  then,"  continued  Grandfather,  "  they  wore 
various  sorts  of  periwigs,  such  as  the  Tie,  the  Spencer, 
the  Brigadier,  the  Major,  the  Albemarle,  the  Ilamil- 
lies,  the  Feather-top,  and  the  Full  bottom  !  Their 
three  cornered  hats  were  laced  with  gold  or  silver. 
They  had  shining  buckles  at  the  knees  of  their  small 
clothes,  and  buckles  likewise  in  their  shoes.  They 
wore  swords  with  beautiful  hilts,  either  of  silver,  or 
sometimes  of  polished  steel,  inlaid  with  gold." 

"  Oh,  I  should  like  to  wear  a  sword  ! "  cried  Char 
ley. 

"And  an  embroidered  crimson  velvet  coat,"  said 
Clara,  laughing,  "and  a  gold  brocade  waistcoat  down 
to  your  knees  !  " 

"  And  knee-buckles  and  shoe-buckles,"  said  Lau 
rence,  laughing  also. 

"  And  a  periwig,"  added  little  Alice,  soberly,  not 
knowing  what  was  the  article  of  dress  which  she  rec 
ommended  to  our  friend  Charley. 

Grandfather  smiled  at  the  idea  of  Charley's  sturdy 
little  figure  in  such  a  grotesque  caparison,  He  theu 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  109 

went  on  with'  the  history  of  the  chair,  and  told  the 
children  that,  in  1730,  King  George  the  Second  ap 
pointed  Jonathan  Belcher  to  be  governor  of  Massa 
chusetts  in  place  of  the  deceased  Governor  Bnrnet. 
Mr.  Belcher  was  a  native  of  the  province,  but  had 
spent  much  of  his  life  in  Europe. 

The  new  governor  found  Grandfather's  chair  in  the 
Province  House.  He  was  struck  with  its  noble  and 
stately  aspect,  but  was  of  opinion  that  age  and  hard 
services  had  made  it  scarcely  so  fit  for  courtly  com 
pany  as  when  it  stood  in  the  Earl  of  Lincoln's  hall. 
Wherefore,  as  Governor  Belcher  was  fond  of  splen 
dor,  he  employed  a  skilful  artist  to  beautify  the  chair. 
This  was  done  by  polishing  and  varnishing  it,  and  by 
gilding  the  carved  work  of  the  elbows,  and  likewise 
the  oaken  flowers  of  the  back.  The  lion's  head  now 
shone  like  a  veritable  lump  of  gold.  Finally  Governor 
Belcher  gave  the  chair  a  cushion  of  blue  damask,  with 
a  rich  golden  fringe. 

"  Our  good  old  chair  being  thus  glorified,"  pro 
ceeded  Grandfather,  "  it  glittered  with  a  great  deal 
more  splendor  than  it  had  exhibited  just  a  century 
before,  when  the  Lady  Arbella  brought  it  over  from 
England.     Most  people  mistook  it  for  a  chair  of  the 
latest  London  fashion.     And  this  may  serve  for  an    J 
example,  that  there  is  almost  always  an  old  and  time-   / 
worn  substance  under  all  the  glittering  show  of  new  I 
invention." 

"  Grandfather,  I  cannot  see  any  of  the  gilding,"  re 
marked  Charley,  who  had  been  examining  the  chair 
very  minutely. 

"  You  will  not  wonder  that  it  has  been  rubbed  off," 
replied  Grandfather,  when  you  hear  all  the  adven- 


110  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

tures  that  have  since  befallen  the  chair.  Gilded  it 
was  ;  and  the  handsomest  room  in  the  Province  House 
was  adorned  by  it." 

There  was  not  much  to  interest  the  children  in  what 
happened  during  the  years  that  Governor  Belcher  re 
mained  in  the  chair.  At  first,  like  Colonel  Shute  and 
Governor  Burnet,  he  was  engaged  in  disputing  with 
the  legislature  about  his  salary.  But,  as  he  found  it 
impossible  to  get  a  fixed  sum,  he  finally  obtained  the 
king's  leave  to  accept  whatever  the  legislature  chose 
to  give  him.  And  thus  the  people  triumphed,  after 
this  long  contest  for  the  privilege  of  expending  their 
own  money  as  they  saw  fit. 

The  remainder  of  Governor  Belcher's  term  of  office 
was  principally  taken  up  in  endeavoring  to  settle  the 
currency.  Honest  John  Hull's  pine-tree  shillings  had 
long  ago  been  worn  out,  or  lost,  or  melted  down 
again  ;  and  their  place  was  supplied  by  bills  of  paper 
or  parchment,  which  \vere  nominally  valued  at  three 
pence  and  upwards.  The  value  of  these  bills  kept 
continually  sinking,  because  the  real  hard  money  could 
not  be  obtained  for  them.  They  were  a  great  deal 
worse  than  the  old  Indian  currency  of  clam-shells. 
These  disorders  of  the  circulating  medium  were  a 

O 

source  of  endless  plague  and  perplexity  to  the  rulers 
and  legislators,  not  only  in  Governor  Belcher's  days, 
but  for  many  years  before  and  afterwards. 

Finally  the  people  suspected  that  Governor  Belcher 
was  secretly  endeavoring  to  establish  the  Episcopal 
mode  of  worship  in  the  provinces.  There  was  enough 
of  the  old  Puritan  spirit  remaining  to  cause  most  of 
the  true  sons  of  New  England  to  look  with  horror 


GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR  111 

upon  such  an  attempt.  Great  exertions  were  made 
to  induce  the  king  to  remove  the  governor.  Accord 
ingly,  in  1740,  he  was  compelled  to  resign  his  office, 
and  Grandfather's  chair  into  the  bargain,  to  Mr.  Shir 
ley. 


CIlArTEE  YIL 

"  WILLIAM  SHIRLEY,"  said  Grandfather,  "  had 
come  from  England  a  few  years  before,  and  begun  to 
practise  law  in  Boston.  You  will  think,  perhaps,  that, 
as  he  had  been  a  lawyer,  the  new  governor  used  to  sit 
in  our  great  chair  reading  heavy  law-books  from  morn 
ing  till  night.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  as  stirring 
and  active  a  governor  as  Massachusetts  ever  had. 
Even  Sir  William  Phips  hardly  equalled  him.  The 
first  year  or  two  of  his  administration  was  spent  in 
trying  to  regulate  the  currency.  But  in  1744,  after  a 
peace  of  more  than  thirty  years,  war  broke  out  between 
France  and  England." 

"  And  I  suppose,"  said  Charley,  "  the  governor  went 
to  take  Canada." 

"  Not  exactly,  Charley,"  said  Grandfather ;  "  though 
you  have  made  a  pretty  shrewd  conjecture.  He 
planned,  in  1745,  an  expedition  against  Louisburg. 
This  was  a  fortified  city,  on  the  island  of  Cape  Bret 
on,  near  Nova  Scotia.  Its  walls  were  of  immense 
height  and  strength,  and  were  defended  by  hundreds 
of  heavy  cannon.  It  was  the  strongest  fortress  which 
the  French  possessed  in  America ;  and  if  the  king  of 
France  had  guessed  Governor  Shirley's  intentions,  he 
would  have  sent  all  the  ships  he  could  muster  to  pro 
tect  it." 

As  the  siege  of  Louisburg  was  one  of  the  most  re 
markable  events  that  ever  the  inhabitants  of  New 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  113 

England  were  engaged  in,  Grandfather  endeavored  to 
give  his  auditors  a  lively  idea  of  the  spirit  with  which 
they  set  about  it.  We  shall  call  his  description 


THE    PROVINCIAL    MUSTER. 

The  expedition  against  Louisburg  first  began  to  bo 
thought  of  in  the  month  of  January.  From  that 
time  the  governor's  chair  was  continually  surrounded 
by  counsellors,  representatives,  clergymen,  captains, 
pilots,  and  all  manner  of  people,  with  whom  he  con 
sulted  about  this  wonderful  project. 

First  of  all,  it  was  necessary  to  provide  men  and 
arms.  The  legislature  immediately  sent  out  a  huge 
quantity  of  paper  money,  with  which,  as  if  by  magic 
spell,  the  governor  hoped  to  get  possession  of  all  the 
old  cannon,  powder  and  balls,  rusty  swords  and  mus 
kets,  and  everything  else  that  would  be  serviceable  in 
killing  Frenchmen.  Drums  were  beaten  in  all  the 
villages  of  Massachusetts  to  enlist  soldiers  for  the 
service.  Messages  were  sent  to  the  other  governors 
of  Xew  England,  and  to  J^ew  York  and  Pennsylvania, 
entreating  them  to  unite  in  this  crusade  against  the 
French.  All  these  provinces  agreed  to  give  what  as 
sistance  they  could. 

But  there  was  one  very  important  thing  to  be  de 
cided.  Who  shall  be  the  general  of  this  great  army  ? 
Peace  had  continued  such  an  unusual  length  of  time, 
that  there  was  now  less  military  experience  among  the 
colonists  than  at  any  former  period.  The  old  Pur 
itans  had  always  kept  their  weapons  bright,  and  were 
never  destitute  of  warlike  captains  who  were  skilful 
in  assault  or  defence.  But  the  swords  of  their  de- 
8 


114  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

scendants  had  grown  rusty  by  disuse.  There  was 
nobody  in  New  England  that  knew  anything  about 
sieges  or  any  other  regular  fighting.  The  only  per 
sons  at  all  acquainted  with  warlike  business  were  a  few 
elderly  men,  who  had  hunted  Indians  through  the  un 
derbrush  of  the  forest  in  old  Governor  Dummer's  war. 

In  this  dilemma  Governor  Shirley  fixed  upon  a 
wealthy  merchant,  named  William  Pepperell,  who 
was  pretty  well  known  and  liked  among  the  people. 
As  to  military  skill,  he  had  no  more  of  it  than-  his 
neighbors.  But,  as  the  governor  urged  him  very 
pressingly,  Mr.  Pepperell  consented  to  shut  up  his 
ledger,  gird  on  a  sword,  and  assume  the  title  of  general. 

Meantime,  what  a  hubbub  was  raised  by  this 
scheme  !  Rub-a-dub-dub !  Rub-a-dub-dub !  The  rat 
tle  of  drums,  beaten  out  of  all  mariner  of  time,  was 
heard  above  every  other  sound. 

Nothing  now  was  so  valuable  as  arms,  of  whatever 
style  and  fashion  they  might  be.  The  bellows  blew, 
and  the  hammer  clanged  continually  upon  the  anvil, 
while  the  blacksmiths  were  repairing  the  broken 
weapons  of  other  wars.  Doubtless  some  of  the  sol 
diers  lugged  out  those  enormous,  heavy  muskets 
which  used  to  be  fired,  with  rests,  in  the  time  of  the 
early  Puritans.  Great  horse-pistols,  too,  were  found, 
which  would  go  off  with  a  bang  like  a  camion.  Old 
cannon,  with  touchholes  almost  as  big  as  their  muz 
zles,  were  looked  upon  as  inestimable  treasures. 
Pikes  which,  perhaps,  had  been  handled  by  Miles 
Standish's  soldiers,  now  made  their  appearance  again. 
Many  a  young  man  ransacked  the  garret  and  brought 
forth  his  great-grandfather's  sword,  corroded  with  rust 
and  stained  with  the  blood  of  King  Philip's  War. 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  115 

^Never  had  there  been  such  an  arming  as  this,  when 
a  people,  so  long  peaceful,  rose  to  the  war  with  the 
best  weapons  that  they  could  lay  their  hands  upon. 
And  still  the  drums  were  heard — Rub-a-dub-dub ! 
Rub-a-dub-dub  ! — in  all  the  towns  and  villages ;  and 
louder  and  more  numerous  grew  the  trampling  foot 
steps  of  the  recruits  that  marched  behind. 

Rub-a-dub-dub !  And  now  the  army  began  to 
gather  into  Boston.  Tall,  lanky,  awkward  fellows 
came  in  squads,  and  companies,  and  regiments,  swag 
gering  along,  dressed  in  their  brown  homespun 
clothes  and  blue  yarn  stockings.  They  stooped  as  if 
they  still  had  hold  of  the  plough-handles,  and 
marched  without  any  time  or  tune.  Hither  they 
came,  from  the  corn-fields,  from  the  clearing,  in  the 
forest,  from  the  blacksmith's  forge,  from. the  carpen 
ter's  workshop,  and  from  the  shoemaker's  seat.  They 
were  an  army  of  rough  faces  and  sturdy  frames.  A 
trained  officer  of  Europe  would  have  laughed  at  them 
till  his  sides  had  ached.  But  there  was  a  spirit  in 
their  bosoms  which  is  more  essential  to  soldiership 
than  to  wear  red  coats  and  march  in  stately  ranks  to 
the  sound  of  regular  music. 

Still  was  heard  the  beat  of  the  drum, — rub-a-dub- 
dub  ! — And  now  a  host  of  three  or  four  thousand  men 
had  found  their  way  to  Boston.  Little  quiet  was 
'there  then  !  Forth  scampered  the  school-boys,  shout 
ing  behind  the  drums.  The  whole  town,  the  whole 
land, — was  on  fire  with  war. 

After  the  arrival  of  the  troops,  they  were  probably 
reviewed  upon  the  common.  We  may  imagine  Gov 
ernor  Shirley  and  General  Pepperell  riding  slowly 
along  the  line,  while  the  drummers  beat  strange  old 


116  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

tunes,  like  psalm-tunes,  and  all  the  officers  and  sol 
diers  put  on  their  most  warlike  looks.  It  would 
have  been  a  terrible  sight  for  the  Frenchmen,  could 
they  but  have  witnessed  it ! 

At  length,  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  March,  1745, 
the  army  gave  a  parting  shout,  and  set  sail  from 
Boston  in  ten  or  twelve  vessels  which  had  been  hired 
by  the  governor.  A  few  days  afterwards  an  English 
fleet,  commanded  by  Commodore  Peter  Warren,  sailed 
also  for  Louisburg  to  assist  the  provincial  army.  So 
now,  after  all  this  bustle  of  preparation,  the  town  and 
province  were  left  in  stillness  and  repose. 
X  But  stillness  and  repose,  at  such  a  time  of  anxious 
expectation,  are  hard  to  bear.  The  hearts  of  the  old 
people  and  women  sunk  within  them  when  they  re 
flected  what  perils  they  had  sent  their  sons,  and  hus 
bands,  and  brothers  to  encounter.  The  boys  loitered 
heavily  to  school,  missing  the  rub-a-dub-dub  and  tlu 
trampling  march,  in  the  rear  of  which  they  had  so 
lately  run  and  shouted.  All  the  ministers  prayed 
earnestly  in  their  pulpits  for  a  blessing  on  the  army 
of  New  England.  In  every  family,  when  the  good 
man  lifted  up  his  heart  in  domestic  wrorship,  the  bur 
den  of  his  petition  was  for  the  safety  of  those  deal 
ones  who  were  fighting  under  the  walls  of  Louisburg. 

Governor  Shirley  all  this  time  was  probably  in  an 
ecstasy  of  impatience.  He  could  not  sit  still  a  mo- 
<nent.  He  found  no  quiet,  not  even  in  Grandfather's 
ahair ;  but  hurried  to-and-fro,  and  up  and  down  the 
staircase  of  the  Province  House.  Now  he  mounted 
to  the  cupola  and  looked  sea-ward,  straining  his  eyes 
to  discover  if  there  were  a  sail  upon  the  horizon. 
Now,  he  hastened  down  the  stairs,  and  stood  beneatb 


GRANDFATHERS   CHAIR  117 

the  portal,  on  the  red  free-stone  steps,  to  receive  some 
mud-bespattered  courier,  from  whom  he  hoped  to 
hear  tidings  of  the  army.  A  few  weeks  after  the  de 
parture  of  the  troops,  Commodore  Warren  sent  a 
small  vessel  to  Boston  with  two  French  prisoners. 
One  of  them  was  Monsieur  Bouladrie,  who  had  been 
commander  of  a  battery  outside  of  the  walls  of 
Louisburg.  The  other  was  the  Marquis  de  la  Maison 
Forte,  captain  of  a  French  frigate  which  had  been 
taken  by  Commodore  Warren's  fleet.  These  pris 
oners  assured  Governor  Shirley  that  the  fortifications 
of  Louisburg  were  far  too  strong  ever  to  be  stormed 
by  the  provincial  army. 

Day  after  day  and  week  after  week  went  on.  The 
people  grew  almost  heart-sick  with  anxiety  ;  for  the 
flower  of  the  country  was  at  peril  in  this  adventurous 
expedition.  It  was  now  day -break  on  the  morning  of 
the  third  of  July. 

But  hark  !  what  sound  is  this  ?  The  hurried  clang 
of  a  bell !  There  is  the  Old  North  pealing  suddenly 
out ! — there  the  Old  South  strikes  in  ! — now  the  peal 
comes  from  the  church  in  Brattle  Street ! — the  bells 
of  nine  or  ten  steeples  are  all  flinging  their  iron 
voices  at  once  upon  the  morning  breeze !  Is  it  joy, 
or  alarm  ?  There  goes  the  roar  of  a  cannon  too  !  A 
royal  salute  is  thundered  forth.  And  now  we  hear 
the  loud  exulting  shout  of  a  multitude  assembled  in 
the  street.  Huzza !  huzza !  Louisburg  has  surren 
dered  !  Huzza ! 


"  O  Grandfather,  how  glad  I  should  have  been  to 
live  in  those  times !  "  cried  Charley.     *'  And  what  re- 


118  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

ward  did  the  king  give  to  General  Pepperell  and  Gov 
ernor  Shirley  ? " 

"  He  made  Pepperell  a  baronet ;  so  that  he  was 
now  to  be  called  Sir  William  Pepperell,"  replied 
Grandfather.  "  He  likewise  appointed  both  Pepper- 
ell  and  Shirley  to  be  colonels  in  the  royal  army. 
These  rewards,  and  higher  ones,  were  \vell  deserved ; 
for  this  was  the  greatest  triumph  that  the  English 
met  in  the  whole  course  of  that  war.  General  Pep 
perell  became  a  man  of  great  fame.  I  have  seen  a 
full  length  portrait  of  him,  representing  him  in  a 
splendid  scarlet  uniform,  standing  before  the  walls  of 
Louisburg,  while  several  bombs  are  falling  through  the 
air." 

"  But  did  the  country  gain  any  real  good  by  the 
conquest  of  Louisburg  ?  "  asked  Laurence.  "  Or  was 
all  the  benefit  reaped  by  Pepperell  and  Shirley  ?  " 

"  The  English  Parliament,"  replied  Grandfather, 
"  agreed  to  pay  the  colonists  for  all  the  expenses  of 
the  siege.  Accordingly,  in  1749,  two  hundred  and 
fifteen  chests  of  Spanish  dollars  and  one  hundred 
casks  of  copper  coin  were  brought  from  England  to 
Boston.  The  whole  amount  was  about  a  million  oi 
dollars.  Twenty-seven  carts  and  trucks  carried  this 
money  from  the  wharf  to  the  provincial  treasury. 
Was  not  this  a  pretty  liberal  reward  ? " 

/'  The  mothers  of  the  young  men  who  were  killed 
at  the  siege  of  Louisburg  would  not  have  thought  it 
so,"  said  Laurence. 

"No,  Laurence, "rejoined  Grandfather  ;  aand  every 
warlike  achievement  involves  an  amount  of  physical 
and  moral  evil,  for  which  all  the  gold  in  the  Spanish 
mines  would  not  be  the  slightest  recompense.  But 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  119 

we  are  to  consider  that  this  siege  was  one  of  the  oc 
casions  on  which  the  colonists  tested  their  ability  for 
war,  and  thus  were  prepared  for  the  great  contest  of 
the  Revolution.  In  that  point  of  view,  the  valor  of 
our  forefathers  was  its  own  reward." 

Grandfather  went  on  to  say  that  the  success  of  the 
expedition  against  Louisburg  induced  Shirley  and 
Pepperell  to  form  a  scheme  for  conquering  Canada. 
This  plan,  however,  was  not  carried  into  execution. 

In  the  year  1716  great  terror  was  excited  by  the 
arrival  of  a  formidable  French  fleet  upon  the  coast. 
It  was  commanded  by  the  Duke  d'Anville,  and  con 
sisted  of  forty  ships  of  war,  besides  vessels  with  sol 
diers  on  board.  With  this  force  the  French  intended 
to  re-take  Louisburg,  and  afterwards  to  ravage  the 
whole  of  New  England.  Many  people  were  ready  to 
give  up  the  country  for  lost. 

But  the  hostile  fleet  met  with  so  many  disasters  and 
losses  by  storm  and  shipwreck,  that  the  Duke  d'An 
ville  is  said  to  have  poisoned  himself  in  despair.  The 
officer  next  in  command  threw  himself  upon  his  sword 
and  perished.  Thus  deprived  of  their  commanders, 
the  remainder  of  the  ships  returned  to  France.  This 
was  as  great  a  deliverance  for  New  England  as  that 
which  Old  England  had  experienced  in  the  days  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  when  the  Spanish  Armada  was 
wrecked  upon  her  coast. 

"In  1747,"  proceeded  Grandfather,  "Governor 
Shirley  was  driven  from  the  Province  House,  not  by 
a  hostile  fleet  and  army,  but  by  a  mob  of  the  Boston 
people.  They  were  so  incensed  at  the  conduct  of  the 
British  Commodore  Knowles,  who  had  impressed 
some  of  their  fellow-citizens,  that  several  thousands 


1*20  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

of  them  surrounded  the  council  chamber  and  threw 
stones  and  brickbats  into  the  windows.  The  gov 
ernor  attempted  to  pacify  them  ;  but  not  succeeding, 
he  thought  it  necessary  to  leave  the  town  and  take 
refuge  within  the  walls  of  Castle  William.  Quiet 
was  not  restored  until  Commodore  Knowles  had  sent 
back  the  impressed  men.  This  affair  was  a  flash  of 
spirit  that  might  have  warned  the  English  not  to 
venture  upon  any  oppressive  measures  against  their 
colonial  brethren." 

Peace  being  declared  between  France  and  England 
in  1748,  the  governor  had  now  an  opportunity  to  sit 
at  his  ease  in  Grandfather's  chair.  Such  repose,  how 
ever,  appears  not  to  have  suited  his  disposition  ;  for, 
in  the  following  year  he  went  to  England,  and  thence 
was  dispatched  to  France  on  public  business.  Mean 
while,  as  Shirley  had  not  resigned  his  office,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor  Phips  acted  as  chief  magistrate  in 
his  stead. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

IN  the  early  twilight  of  Thanksgiving  Eve  came 
Laurence,  and  Clara,  and  Charley,  and  little  Alice 
hand  in  hand,  and  stood  in  a  semi-circle  round  Grand 
father's  chair.  They  had  been  joyous  throughout 
that  day  of  festivity,  mingling  together  in  all  kinds 
of  play,  so  that  the  house  had  echoed  with  their  airy 
mirth. 

Grandfather,  too,  had  been  happy  though  not 
mirthful.  He  felt  that  this  was  to  be  set  down  as 
one  of  the  good  Thanksgivings  of  his  life.  In  truth, 
all  his  former  Thanksgivings  had  borne  their  part  in 
the  present  one  ;  for  his  years  of  infancy,  and  youth, 
and  manhood,  with  their  blessings  and  their  griefs, 
had  flitted  before  him  while  he  sat  silently  in  the 
great  chair.  Vanished  scenes  had  been  pictured  in 
the  air.  The  forms  of  departed  friends  had  visited 
him.  Voices  to  be  heard  no  more  on  earth  had  sent 
an  echo  from  the  infinite  and  the  eternal.  These 
shadows,  if  such  they  were,  seemed  almost  as  real  to 
him  as  what  was  actually  present, — as  the  merry 
shouts  and  laughter  of  the  children, — as  their  figures, 
dancing  like  sunshine  before  his  eyes. 

He  felt  that  the  past  was  not  taken  from  him.  The 
happiness  of  former  days  was  a  possession  forever. 
And  there  was  something  in  the  mingled  sorrow  of 
his  lifetime  that  became  akin  to  happiness,  after  be 
ing  long  treasured  in  the  depths  of  his  heart.  There 


122  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

it  underwent  a  change,  and  grew  more  precious  than 
j  pure  gold. 

And  now  came  the  children,  somewhat  aweary  with 
their  wild  play,  and  sought  the  quiet  enjoyment  of 
Grandfather's  talk.  The  good  old  sire  rubbed  his 
eyes  and  smiled  round  upon  them  all.  He  was  glad, 
as  most  aged  people  are,  to  find  that  he  was  yet  of 
consequence,  and  could  give  pleasure  to  the  world. 
After  being  so  merry  all  clay  long,  did  these  children 
desire  to  hear  his  sober  talk  ?  Oh,  then,  old  Grand 
father  had  yet  a  place  to  fill  among  living  men, — or 
at  least  among  boys  and  girls ! 

"  Begin  quick,  Grandfather,"  cried  little  Alice ; 
"  for  Pussy  wants  to  hear  you." 

And  truly  our  yellow  friend,  the  cat,  lay  upon  the 
hearthrug,  basking  in  the  warmth  of  the  fire,  pricking 
up  her  ears,  and  turning  her  head  from  the  children 
to  Grandfather,  and  from  Grandfather  to  the  chil 
dren,  as  if  she  felt  herself  very  sympathetic  with 
them  all.  A  loud  purr,  like  the  singing  of  a  tea-ket 
tle  or  the  hum  of  a  spinning-wheel,  testified  that  she 
was  as  comfortable  and  happy  as  a  cat  could  be.  For 
Puss  had  feasted ;  and  therefore,  like  Grandfather 
and -the  children,  had  kept  a  good  Thanksgiving. 

"  Does  Pussy  want  to  hear  me  ?  "  said  Grandfather, 
smiling.  "Well,  we  must  please  Pussy,  if  we  can." 

And  so  he  took  up  the  history  of  the  chair  from 
the  epoch  of  the  peace  of  1748.  By  one  of  the  pro 
visions  of  the  treaty,  Louisburg,  which  the  New  Eng- 
landers  had  been  at  so  much  pains  to  take,  was  re 
stored  to  the  king  of  France. 

The  French  were  afraid  that,  unless  their  colonies 
should  be  better  defended  than  heretofore,  another 


QRANDFATUER'S  CHAIR,  123 

war  might  deprive  them  of  the  whole-.  Almost  as 
soon  as  peace  was  declared,  therefore,  tlrey  began  to 
build  strong  fortifications  in  the  interior  of  North 
America.  It  was  strange  to  behold  these  warlike  cas 
tles  on  the  banks  of  solitary  lakes  and  far  in  the 
midst  of  woods.  The  Indian,  paddling  his  birch- 
canoe  on  Lake  Champlain,  looked  up  at  the  high  ram 
parts  of  Ticonderoga,  stone  piled  on  stone,  bristling 
with  cannon,  and  the  white  flag  of  France  floating 
above.  There  were  similar  fortifications  on  Lake  On 
tario,  and  near  the  great  Falls  of  Niagara,  and  at  the 
sources  of  the  Ohio  River.  And  all  around  these 
forts  and  castles  lay  the  eternal  forest,  and  the  roll 
of  the  drum  died  away  in  those  deep  solitudes. 

The  truth  was?  that  the  French  intended  to  build 
forts  all  the  way  from  Canada  to  Louisiana.  They 
would  then  have  had  a  wall  of  military  strength  at 
the  back  of  the  English  settlements  so  as  completely 
to  hem  them  in.  The  King  of  England  considered 
the  building  of  these  forts  as  a  sufficient  cause  of  war, 
which  was  accordingly  commenced  in  175tL 

"Governor  Shirley,"  said  Grandfather,  "had  re 
turned  to  Boston  in  1753.  While  in  Paris  he  had 
married  a  second  wife,  a  young  French  girl,  and  now 
brought  her  to  the  Province  House.  But  when  war 
was  breaking  out  it  was  impossible  for  such  a  bustling 
man  to  stay  quietly  at  home,  sitting  in  our  old  chair, 
with  his.  wife  and  children  round  about  him.  He 
therefore  obtained  a  command  in  the  English  forces." 

"And  what  did  Sir  William  Pepperell  do? "  asked 
Charley. 

"  He  stayed  at  home,"  said  Grandfather,  "  and  was 
general  of  the  militia.  The  veteran  regiments  of  the 


124:  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

English  army  which  were  now  sent  across  the  Atlan 
tic  would  have  scorned  to  fight  under  the  orders  of 
an  old  American  merchant.  And  now  began  what 
aged  people  call  the  Old  French  War.  It  would  be 
going  too  far  astray  from  the  history  of  our  chair  to 
tell  you  one  half  of  the  battles  that  were  fought.  1 
cannot  even  allow  myself  to  describe  the  bloody  de 
feat  of  General  Brad  dock,  near  the  sources  of  the 
Ohio  River,  in  1755.  But  I  must  not  omit  to  men 
tion  that,  when  the  English  general  was  mortally 
wounded  and  his  army  routed,  the  remains  of  it 
were  preserved  by  the  skill  and  valor  of  GEOKGE 
WASHINGTON." 

At  the  mention  of  this  illustrious  name  the  children 
started  as  if  a  sudden  sunlight  had  gleamed  upon  the 
history  of  their  country,  now  that  the  great  Deliverer 
had  arisen  above  the  horizon. 

Among  all  the  events  of  the  Old  French  War, 
Grandfather  thought  that  there  was  none  more  inter 
esting  than  the  removal  of  the  inhabitants  of  Acadia. 
From  the  first  settlement  of  this  ancient  province  of 
the  French,  in  16(M,  until  the  present  time,  its  people 
could  scarcely  ever  know  what  kingdom  held  domin 
ion  over  them.  They  were  a  peaceful  race,  taking 
no  delight  in  warfare,  and  caring  nothing  for  mili 
tary  renown.  And  yet,  in  every  war,  their  region 
was  infested  with  iron-hearted  soldiers,  both  French 
and  English,  who  fought  one  another  for  the  privi 
lege  of  ill  treating  these  poor,  harmless  Acadians. 
Sometimes  the  treaty  of  peace  made  them  subjects  of 
one  king,  sometimes  of  another. 

At  the  peace  of  1748  Acadia  had  been  ceded  to 
England.  But  the  French  still  claimed  a  large  por 


GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR.  125 

tion  of  it,  and  built  forts  for  its  defence.  In  1755 
these  forts  were  taken,  and  the  whole  of  Acadia  was 
conquered  by  three  thousand  men  from  Massachusetts, 
under  the  command  of  General  Window.  The  in 
habitants  were  accused  of  supplying  the  French  with 
provisions,  and  of  doing  other  things  that  violated 
their  neutrality. 

"  These  accusations  were  probably  true,"  observed 
Grandfather;  "for  the  Acadians  were  descended 
from  the  French,  and  had  the  same  friendly  feel 
ings  towards  them  that  the  people  of  Massachusetts 
had  for  the  English.  But  their  punishment  was 
severe.  The  English  determined  to  tear  these  poor 
people  from  their  native  homes  and  scatter  them 
abroad." 

The  Acadians  were  about  seven  thousand  in  num 
ber.  A  considerable  part  of  them  were  made  pris 
oners,  and  transported  to  the  English  colonies.  All 
their  dwellings  and  churches  were  burned,  their  cat 
tle  were  killed,  and  the  whole  country  was  laid  waste, 
so  that  none  of  them  might  find  shelter  or  food  in 
their  old  homes  after  the  departure  of  the  English. 
One  thousand  of  the  prisoners  were  sent  to  Massachu 
setts  ;  and  Grandfather  allowed  his  fancy  to  follow 
them  thither,  and  tried  to  give  his  auditors  an  idea  of 
their  situation. 

We  shall  call  this  passage  the  story  of 

THE    ACADIAN    EXILES. 

A  sad  day  it  was  for  the  poor  Acadians  when  the 
armed  soldiers  drove  them,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
down  to  the  sea-shore.  Very  sad  were  they,  likewise, 


126  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

while  tossing  upon  the  ocean  in  the  crowded  transport 
vessels.  But  methinks  it  must  have  been  sadder  still 
when  they  were  landed  on  the  Long  Wharf  in  Boston, 
and  left  to  themselves  on  a  foreign  strand. 

Then,  probably,  they  huddled  together  and  looked 
into  one  another's  faces  for  the  comfort  which  was  not 
there.  Hitherto  they  had  been  confined  on  board  of 
separate  vessels,  so  that  they  could  not  tell  whether 
their  relatives  and  friends  were  prisoners  along  with 
them.  But  now,  at  least,  they  could  tell  that  many 
had  been  left  behind  or  transported  to  other  regions. 

Now  a  desolate  wife  might  be  heard  calling-  for  her 

O  O 

husband.  He,  alas  !  had  gone,  she  knew  not  whither ; 
or  perhaps  had  fled  into  the  woods  of  Acadia,  and  had 
now  returned  to  weep  over  the  ashes  of  their  dwelling. 

An  aged  widow  was  crying  out  in  a  querulous,  lam 
entable  tone  for  her  son,  whose  affectionate  toil  had 
supported  her  for  many  a  year.  He  was  not  in  the 
crowd  of  exiles;  and  what  could  this" aged  widow  do 
but  sink  down  and  die  ?  Young  men  and  maidens, 
whose  hearts  had  been  torn  asunder  by  separation,  had 
hoped,  during  the  voyage,  to  meet  their  beloved  ones 
at  its  close.  Now  they  began  to  feel  that  they  were 
separated  forever.  And  perhaps  a  lonesome  little  girl, 
a  golden-haired  child  of  five  years  old,  the  very  picture 
of  our  little  Alice,  was  weeping  and  wailing  for  her 
mother,  and  found  not  a  soul  to  give  her  a  kind  word. 

Oh,  how  many  broken  bonds  of  affection  were  here  ! 
Country  lost! — friends  lost! — their  rural  wealth  of 
cottage,  field,  and  herds  all  lost  together  !  Every  tie 
between  these  poor  exiles  and  the  world  seemed  to  be 
cut  off  at  once.  They  must  have  regretted  that  they 
had  not  died  before  their  exile ;  for  even  the  English 


QRANDFATlim'S  CHAIR.  127 

would  not  have  been  so  pitiless  as  to  deny  them  graves 
in  their  native  soil.  The  dead  were  happy ;  for  they 
were  not  exiles ! 

While  they  thus  stood  upon  the  wharf,  the  curios 
ity  and  inquisitiveness  of  the  New  England  people 
would  naturally  lead  them  into  the  mictet  of  the  poor 
Acadians.  Prying  busy-bodies  thrust  their  heads  into 
the  circle  wherever  two  or  three  of  the  exiles  were  con 
versing  together.  How  puzzled  did  they  look  at  the 
outlandish  sound  of  the  French  tongue  !  There  were 
seen  the  New  England  women,  too.  They  had  just 
come  out  of  their  warm,  safe  homes,  where  everything 
was  regular  and  comfortable,  and  where  their  hus 
bands  and  children  would  be  with  them  at  night-fall. 
Surely  they  could  pity  the  wretched  wives  and  mothers 
of  Acadia !  Or  did  the  sign  of  the  cross  which  the . 
Acadians  continually  made  upon  their  breasts,  and  j 
which  was  abhorred  by  the  descendants  of  the  Puri- / 
tans, — did  that  sign  exclude  all  pity  ? 

Among  the  spectators,  too,  was  the  noisy  brood  of 
Boston  school-boys,  who  came  running,  with  laughter 
and  shouts,  to  gaze  at  this  crowd  of  oddly  dressed  for 
eigners.  At  first  they  danced  and  capered  around 
them,  full  of  merriment  and  mischief.  But  the  de 
spair  of  the  Acadians  soon  had  its  effect  upon  these 
thoughtless  lads,  and  melted  them  into  tearful  sym 
pathy. 

At  a  little  distance  from  the  throng  might  be  seen 
the  wealthy  and  pompous  merchants  whose  warehouses 
stood  on  Long  Wharf.  It  was  difficult  to  touch  these 
rich  men's  hearts ;  for  they  had  all  the  comforts  of 
the  world  at  their  command  ;  and  when  they  walked 
abroad  their  feelings  were  seldom  moved,  except  by 


128  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

the  roughness  of  the  pavement  irritating  their  gouty 
toes.  Leaning  upon  their  gold-headed  canes,  they 
watched  the  scene  with  an  aspect  of  composure.  But 
let  us  hope  they  distributed  some  of  their  superfluous 
coin  among  these  hapless  exiles  to  purchase  food  and 
a  night's  lodging. 

After  standing  a  long  time  at  the  end  of  the  wharf, 
gazing  seaward,  as  if  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  their  lost 
Acadia,  the  strangers  began  to  stray  into  the  town. 

They  went,  we  will  suppose,  in  parties  and  groups, 
here  a  hundred,  there  a  score,  there  ten,  there  three 
or  four,  who  possessed  some  bond  of  unity  among 
themselves.  Here  and  there,  was  one,  who,  utterly 
desolate,  stole  away  by  himself,  seeking  no  compan 
ionship. 

Whither  did  they  go  ?  I  imagine  them  wandering 
about  the  streets,  telling  the  townspeople,  in  outland 
ish,  unintelligible  words,  that  no  earthly  affliction  ever 
equalled  what  had  befallen  them.  Man's  brotherhood 
with  man  was  sufficient  to  make  the  New-Englanders 
understand  this  language.  The  strangers  wanted  food. 
Some  of  them  sought  hospitality  at  the  doors  of  the 
stately  mansions  which  then  stood  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hanover  Street  and  the  North  Square.  Others  were 
applicants  at  the  humble  wooden  tenements,  where 
dwelt  the  petty  shopkeepers  and  mechanics.  Pray 
Heaven  that  no  family  in  Boston  turned  one  of  these 
poor  exiles  from  their  door  !  It  would  be  a  reproach 
upon  New  England, — a  crime  worthy  of  heavy  retri 
bution, — if  the  aged  women  and  children,  or  even 
the  strong  men,  were  allowed  to  feel  the  pinch  of  hun 
ger. 

Perhaps  some  of  the  Acadians,  in  their  aimless  wan- 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  129 

derings  through  the  town,  found  themselves  near  a 
large  brick  edifice,  which  was  fenced  in  from  the  street 
by  an  iron  railing,  wrought  with  fantastic  figures. 
They  saw  a  flight  of  red  free-stone  steps  ascending  to 
a  portal,  above  which  was  a  balcony  and  balustrade. 
Misery  and  desolation  give  men  the  right  of  free  pas 
sage  everywhere.  Let  us  suppose,  then,  that  they 
mounted  the  flight  of  steps  and  passed  into  the  Prov 
ince  House.  Making  their  way  into  one  of  the  apart 
ments,  they  beheld  a  richly  clad  gentleman,  seated  in 
a  stately  chair,  with  gilding  upon  the  carved  work  of 
its  back,  and  a  gilded  lion's  head  at  the  summit. 
This  was  Governor  Shirley,  meditating  upon  matters 
of  war  and  state,  in  Grandfather's  chair  ! 

If  such  an  incident  did  happen,  Shirley,  reflecting 
what  a  ruin  of  peaceful  and  humble  hopes  had  been 
wrought  by  the  cold  policy  of  the  statesman  and  the 
iron  hand  of  the  warrior,  might  have  drawn  a  deep 
moral  from  it.  It  should  have  taught  him  that  the 
poor  man's  hearth  is  sacred,  and  that  armies  and 
nations  have  no  right  to  violate  it.  It  should  have 
made  him  feel  that  England's  triumph  and  increased 
dominion  could  not  compensate  to  mankind  nor  atone 
to  Heaven  for  the  ashes  of  a  single  Acadian  cottage. 
But  it  is  not  thus  that  statesmen  and  warriors  mor 
alize. 


"  Grandfather,"  cried  Laurence,  with  emotion  trem 
bling  in  his  voice,  "  did  iron-hearted  War  itself  ever 
do  so  hard  and  cruel  a  thing  as  this  before  ? " 

"  You  have  read  in  history,  Laurence,  of  whole 
regions  wantonly  laid  waste,"  said  Grandfather.  "  In 
9 


130  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

the  removal  of  the  Acadians,  the  troops  were  guilty  of 
no  cruelty  or  outrage,  except  what  was  inseparable 
from  the  measure." 

Little  Alice,  whose  eyes  had  all  along  been  brim 
ming  full  of  tears,  now  burst  forth  a-sobbing;  for 
Grandfather  had  touched  her  sympathies  more  thaii 
he  intended. 

"To  think  of  a  whole  people  homeless  in  the 
world  !  "  said  Clara,  with  moistened  eyes.  "  There 
never  was  anything  so  sad  !  " 

"  It  was  their  own  fault !  "  cried  Charley,  energeti 
cally.  "  Why  did  not  they  fight  for  the  country 
where  they  were  born.  Then,  if  the  worst  had  hap 
pened  to  them,  they  could  only  have  been  killed  and 
buried  there.  They  would  not  have  been  exiles 
tfien." 

"  Certainly  their  lot  was  as  hard  as  death,"  said 
Grandfather.  "  All  that  could  be  done  for  them  in 
the  English  provinces  was,  to  send  them  to  the  alms- 
houses,  or  bind  them  out  to  taskmasters.  And  this 
was  the  fate  of  persons  who  had  possessed  a  comfort 
able  property  in  their  native  country.  Some  of  them 
found  means  to  embark  for  France ;  but  though  it 
was  the  land  of  their  forefathers,  it  must  have  been 
a  foreign  land  to  them.  Those  who  remained  behind 
always  cherished  a  belief  that  the  king  of  France 
would  never  make  peace  with  England  till  his  poor 
Acadians  were  restored  to  their  country  and  their 
homes." 

"  And  did  he  ? "  inquired  Clara. 

"Alas,  my  dear  Clara,"  said  Grandfather,"  it  is 
improbable  that  the  slightest  whisper  of  the  woes  of 
Acadia  ever  reached  the  ears  of  Louis  the  Fifteenth, 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  131 

The  exiles  grew  old  in  the  British  provinces,  and 
never  saw  Acadia  again.  Their  descendants  remain 
among  us  to  this  day.  They  have  forgotten  the  lan 
guage  of  their  ancestors,  and  probably  retain  no  tra 
dition  of  their  misfortunes.  But,  methinks,  if  I  were 
an  American  poet,  I  would  choose  Acadia  for  the 
subject  of  my  song." 

And  now,  having  thrown  a  gentle  gloom  around  the 
Thanksgiving  fireside  by  a  story  that  made  the  chil 
dren  feel  the  blessing  of  a  secure  and  peaceful  hearth, 
Grandfather  put  off  the  other  events  of  the  Old 
French  War  till  the  next  evening. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ACCORDINGLY  in  the  twilight  of  the  succeeding  eve, 
when  the  red  beams  of  the  fire  were  dancing  upon  the 
wall,  the  children  besought  Grandfather  to  tell  them 
what  had  next  happened  to  the  old  chair. 

"  Onr  chair,"  said  Grandfather,  "  stood  all  this 
time  in  the  Province  House.  But  Governor  Shirley 
had  seldom  an  opportunity  to  repose  within  its  arms. 
He  was  leading  his  troops  through  the  forest,  or  sail 
ing  in  a  flat-boat  on  Lake  Ontario,  or  sleeping  in  his 
tent,  while  the  awful  cataract  of  Niagara  sent  its 
roar  through  his  dreams.  At  one  period,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  war,  Shirley  had  the  chief  command 
of  all  the  king's  forces  in  America." 

"  Did  his  young  wife  go  with  him  to  the  war  ?  " 
asked  Clara. 

"I  rather  imagine," replied  Grandfather,  "  that  she 
remained  in  Boston.  This  lady,  I  suppose,  had  our 
chair  all  to  herself,  and  used  to  sit  in  it  during  those 
brief  intervals  when  a  young  Frenchwoman  can  be 
quiet  enough  to  sit  in  a  chair.  The  people  of  Massa 
chusetts  were  never  fond  of  Governor  Shirley's  young 
French  wife.  They  had  a  suspicion  that  she  betrayed 
the  military  plans  of  the  English  to  the  generals  of 
the  French  armies." 

"  And  was  it  true  ?  "  inquired  Clara. 

"Probably  not,"    said    Grandfather.      "But    the 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  133 

mere  suspicion  did  Shirley  a  great  deal  of  harm. 
Partly,  peril aps,  for  this  reason,  but  much  more  on 
account  of  his  inefficiency  as  a  general,  he  was  de 
prived  of  his  command  in  1756,  and  recalled  to  Eng 
land.  He  never  afterwards  made  any  figure  in  public 
life." 

As  Grandfather's  chair  had  no  locomotive  proper 
ties,  and  did  not  even  run  on  castors,  it  cannot  be  sup 
posed  to  have  marched  in  person  to  the  Old  French 
War.  But  Grandfather  delayed  its  momentous  his 
tory  while  he  touched  briefly  upon  some  of  the  bloody 
battles,  sieges,  and  onslaughts,  the  tidings  of  which 
kept  continually  coining  to  the  ears  of  the  old  in 
habitants  of  Boston.  The  woods  of  the  north  were 
populous  with  fighting  men.  All  the  Indian  tribes 
uplifted  their  tomahawks,  and  took  part  either  with 
the  French  or  English.  The  rattle  of  musketry  and 
roar  of  cannon  disturbed  the  ancient  quiet  of  the  for 
est,  and  actually  drove  the  bears  and  other  wild  beasts 
to  the  more  cultivated  portion  of  the  country  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  sea-ports.  The  children  felt  as  if  they 
were  transported  back  to  those  forgotten  times,  and 
that  the  couriers  from  the  army,  with  the  news  of  a 
battle  lost  or  won,  might  even  now  be  heard  gallop 
ing  through  the  streets.  Grandfather  told  them  about 
the  battle  of  Lake  George  in  1755,  when  the  gallant 
Colonel  Williams,  a  Massachusetts  officer,  was  slain, 
with  many  of  his  countrymen.  But  General  Johnson 
and  General  Lyman,  with  their  army,  drove  back  the 
enemy  and  mortally  wounded  the  French  leader,  who 
was  called  the  Baron  Dieskau.  A  gold  watch,  pil 
fered  from  the  poor  baron,  is  still  in  existence,  and 
still  marks  each  moment  of  time  without  complaining 


134  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

of  weariness,  although  its  hands  have  been  in  motion 
ever  since  the  hour  of  battle. 

In  the  first  years  of  the  war  there  were  many  dis 
asters  on  the  English  side.  Among  these  was  the  loss 
of  Fort  Oswego  in  1756,  and  of  Fort  William  Henry 
in  the  following  year.  But  the  greatest  misfortune 
that  befell  the  English  during  the  whole  war  was  the 
repulse  of  General  Abercrombie,  with  his  army,  from 
the  ramparts  of  Ticonderoga  in  1758.  He  attempted 
to  storm  the  walls  ;  but  a  terrible  conflict  ensued,  in 
which  more  than  two  thousand  Englishmen  and  New 
Englanders  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  slain  sol 
diers  now  lie  buried  around  that  ancient  fortress. 
"When  the  plough  passes  over  the  soil,  it  turns  up  here 
and  there  a  mouldering  bone. 

Up  to  this  period,  none  of  the  English  generals  had 
shown  any  military  talent.  Shirley,  the  Earl  of  Lou- 
don,  and  General  Abercrombie  had  each  held  the 
chief  command  at  different  times ;  but  not  one  of 
them  had  won  a  single  important  triumph  for  the 
British  arms.  This  ill  success  was  not  owing  to  the 
want  of  means ;  for,  in  1758,  General  Abercrombie 
had  fifty  thousand  soldiers  under  his  command.  But 
the  French  general,  the  famous  Marquis  de  Mont- 
calm,  possessed  a  great  genius  for  war,  and  had  some 
thing  within  him  that  taught  him  how  battles  were 
to  be  won. 

At  length,  in  1759,  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst  was  ap 
pointed  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  British  forces 
in  America.  He  was  a  man  of  ability  and  a  skilful 
soldier.  A  plan  was  now  formed  for  accomplishing 
that  object  which  had  so  long  been  the  darling  wish 
of  the  New  Eiiglanders,  and  which  their  fathers  had 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  135 

so  many  times  attempted.     This  was  tlic  conquest  of 
Canada. 

Three  separate  armies  were  to  enter  Canada  from 
different  quarters.  One  of  the  three,  commanded  by 
General  Prideaux,  was  to  embark  on  Lake  Ontario 
and  proceed  to  Montreal.  The  second,  at  the  head  of 
which  was  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst  himself,  was  destined 
to  reach  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  by  the  way  of  Lake 
Champlain,  and  then  go  down  the  river  to  meet  the 
third  army.  This  last,  led  by  General  Wolfe,  was  to 
enter  the  St.  Lawrence  from  the  sea  and  ascend  the 
river  to  Quebec.  It  is  to  Wolfe  and  his  army  that 
England  owes  one  of  the  most  splendid  triumphs 
ever  written  in  her  history. 

Grandfather  described  the  siege  of  Quebec,  and 
told  how  Wolfe  led  his  soldiers  up  a  rugged  and  lofty 
precipice,  that  rose  from  the  shore  of  the  river  to  the 
plain  on  which  the  city  stood.  This  bold  adventure 
was  achieved  in  the  darkness  of  night.  At  day-break 
tidings  were  carried  to  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm  that 
the  English  army  was  waiting  to  give  him  battle  on 
the  plains  of  Abraham.  This  brave  French  general 
ordered  his  drums  to  strike  up,  and  immediately 
marched  to  encounter  Wolfe. 

He  marched  to  his  own  death.  The  battle  was  the 
most  fierce  and  terrible  that  had  ever  been  fought  in 
America.  General  Wolfe  was  at  the  head  of  his  sol 
diers,  and,  while  encouraging  them  onward,  received 
a  mortal  wound.  He  reclined  against  a  stone  in  the 
agonies  of  death  ;  but  it  seemed  as  if  his  spirit  could 
not  pass  away  while  the  fight  yet  raged  so  doubtfully. 
Suddenly  a  shout  came  pealing  across  the  battle-field. 
"  They  flee !  they  flee  !  "—and,  for  a  moment,  Wolfe 


136  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

lifted  his  languid  head.  "  Who  flee  ?  "  lie  inquired 
"  The  French,"  replied  an  officer.  "  Then  I  die  satis 
fied  !  "  said  Wolfe,  and  expired  in  the  arms  of  victory. 

"  If  ever  a  warrior's  death  were  glorious,  Wolfe's 
was  so ! "  said  Grandfather ;  and  his  eye  kindled, 
though  he  was  a  man  of  peaceful  thoughts  and  gentle 
spirit.  "  His  life-blood  streamed  to  baptize  the  soil 
which  he  had  added  to  the  dominion  of  Britain.  His 
dying  breath  was  mingled  with  his  army's  shout  of 
victory." 

"  Oh,  it  was  a  good  death  to  die  !  "  cried  Charley, 
with  glistening  eyes.  ""Was  it  not  a  good  death, 
Laurence  ? " 

Laurence  made  no  reply;  for  his  heart  burned 
within  him,  as  the  picture  of  Wolfe,  dying  on  the 
blood-stained  field  of  victory,  arose  to  his  imagina 
tion  ;  and  yet  he  had  a  deep  inward  consciousness 
that,  after  all,  there  was  a  truer  glory  than  could  thus 
be  won. 

"There  were  other  battles  in  Canada  after  Wolfe's 
victory,"  resumed  Grandfather ;  "  but  we  may  con 
sider  the  Old  French  War  as  having  terminated  with 
this  great  event.  The  treaty  of  peace,  however,  was 
not  signed  until  1T63.  The  terms  of  the  treaty  were 
very  disadvantageous  to  the  French  ;  for  all  Canada, 
and  all  Acadia,  and  the  Island  of  Cape  Breton, — in 
short,  all  the  territories  that  France  and  England  had 
been  fighting  about  for  nearly  a  hundred  years, — 
were  surrendered  to  the  English." 

"  So  now,  at  last,"  said  Laurence,  "  New  England 
had  gained  her  wish.  Canada  was  taken  !  " 

"  And  now  there  was  nobody  to  fight  with  but  the 
Indians,"  said  Charley, 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  137 

Grandfather  mentioned  two  other  important  events. 
The  first  was  the  great  fire  of  Boston  in  1760,  when 
the  glare  from  nearly  three  hundred  buildings,  all  in 
flames  at  once,  shone  through  the  windows  of  the 
Province  House,  and  threw  a  fierce  lustre  upon  the 
gilded  foliage  and  lion's  head  of  our  old  chair.  The 
second  event  was  the  proclamation,  in  the  same  year, 
of  George  the  Third  as  King  of  Great  Britain.  The 
blast  of  the  trumpet  sounded  from  the  balcony  of  the 
Town  House,  and  awoke  the  echoes  far  and  wide,  as 
if  to  challenge  all  mankind  to  dispute  King  George's 
title. 

Seven  times,  as  the  successive  monarchs  of  Britain 
ascended  the  throne,  the  trumpet  peal  of  proclama 
tion  had  been  heard  by  those  who  sat  in  our  ven 
erable  chair.  But  when  the  next  king  put  on  his 
father's  crown,  no  trumpet  peal  proclaimed  it  to  New 
England ! 


CHAPTER  X. 

"Now  that  Grandfather  had  fought  through  the  old 
French  War,  in  which  our  chair  made  no  very  distin 
guished  figure,  he  thought  it  high  time  to  tell  the 
children  some  of  the  more  private  history  of  that 
praiseworthy  old  piece  of  furniture. 

" In  1757,"  said  Grandfather,  "after  Shirley  had 
been  summoned  to  England,  Thomas  Pownall  was 
appointed  governor  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  a 
gay  and  fashionable  English  gentleman,  who  had 
spent  much  of  his  life  in  London,  but  had  a  consider 
able  acquaintance  with  America.  The  new  governor 
appears  to  have  taken  no  active  part  in  the  war  that 
was  going  on  ;  although,  at  one  period,  he  talked  of 
marching  against  the  enemy  at  the  head  of  his  com 
pany  of  cadets.  But,  on  the  whole,  he  probably  con 
cluded  that  it  was  more  befitting  a  governor  to  remain 
quietly  in  our  chair,  reading  the  newspapers  and  offi 
cial  documents." 

"  Did  the  people  like  Pownall  ?  "  asked  Charley. 

"  They  found  no  fault  with  him,"  replied  Grand 
father.  "  It  was  no  time  to  quarrel  with  the  governor 
when  the  utmost  harmony  was  required  in  order  to 
defend  the  country  against  the  French.  But  Pownall 
did  not  remain  long  in  Massachusetts.  In  1759  he 
was  sent  to  be  governor  of  South  Carolina.  In  thus 
exchanging  one  government  for  another,  I  suppose  he 
felt  no  regret,  except  at  the  necessity  of  leaving 
Grandfather's  chair  behind  him," 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  139 

"  He  might  have  taken  it  to  South  Carolina,"  ob 
served  Clara. 

"  It  appears  to  me,"  said  Laurence,  giving  the  rein 
to  his  fancy,  "  that  the  fate  of  this  ancient  chair  was, 
somehow  or  other,  mysteriously  connected  with  the 
fortunes  of  old  Massachusetts.  If  Governor  Pownall 
had  put  it  aboard  the  vessel  in  which  he  sailed  for 
South  Carolina,  she  would  probably  have  lain  wind- 
bound  in  Boston  Harbor.  It  was  ordained  that  the 
chair  should  not  be  taken  away.  Don't  you  think  so, 
Grandfather  ?  " 

"  It  was  kept  here  for  Grandfather  and  me  to  sit  in 
together,"  said  little  Alice,  "  and  for  Grandfather  to 
tell  stories  about." 

"  And  Grandfather  is  very  glad  of  such  a  compan 
ion  and  such  a  theme,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  with  a 
smile.  "  AV^ell,  Laurence,  if  our  oaken  chair,  like  the 
wooden  Palladium  of  Troy,  was  connected  with  the 
country's  fate,  yet  there  appears  to  have  been  no  su 
pernatural  obstacle  to  its  removal  from  the  Province 
House.  In  1760  Sir  Francis  Bernard,  who  had  been 
governor  of  Xew  Jersey,  was  appointed  to  the  same 
office  in  Massachusetts.  He  looked  at  the  old  chair, 
and  thought  it  quite  too  shabby  to  keep  company  with 
a  new  set  of  mahogany  chairs  and  an  aristocratic  sofa 
which  had  just  arrived  from  London.  He  therefore 
ordered  it  to  be  put  away  in  the  garret." 

The  children  were  loud  in  their  exclamations  against 
this  irreverent  conduct  of  Sir  Francis  Bernard.  But 
Grandfather  defended  him  as  well  as  he  could.  He 
observed  that  it  was  then  thirty  years  since  the  chair 
had  been  beautified  by  Governor  Belcher.  Most  of 
the  gilding  was  worn  off  by  the  frequent  scourings 


140  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

which  it  had  undergone  beneath  the  hands  of  a  black 
slave.  The  damask  cushion,  once  so  splendid,  was 
now  squeezed  out  of  all  shape,  and  absolutely  in  tat 
ters,  so  many  were  the  ponderous  gentlemen  who  had 
deposited  their  weight  upon  it  during  these  thirty 
years. 

Moreover,  at  a  council  held  by  the  Earl  of  London 
with  the  governors  of  New  England  in  1757,  his  lord 
ship,  in  a  moment  of  passion,  had  kicked  over  the 
chair  with  his  military  boot.  By  this  unprovoked 
and  unjustifiable  act,  our  venerable  friend  had  suffered 
a  fracture  of  one  of  its  rungs. 

"  But,"  said  Grandfather,  "  our  chair,  after  all,  was 
not  destined  to  spend  the  remainder  of  its  days  in 
the  inglorious  obscurity  of  a  garret.  Thomas  Hutch  - 
inson,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  province,  was  told 
of  Sir  Francis  Bernard's  design.  This  gentleman 
was  more  familiar  with  the  history  of  New  England 
than  any  other  man  alive.  lie  knew  all  the  adven 
tures  and  vicissitudes  through  which  the  old  chair  had 
passed,  and  could  have  told  as  accurately  as  your  own 
Grandfather  who  were  the  personages  that  had  occu 
pied  it.  Often,  while  visiting  at  the  Province  House, 
he  had  eyed  the  chair  with  admiration,  and  felt  a  long 
ing  desire  to  become  the  possessor  of  it.  He  now 
waited  upon  Sir  Francis  Bernard,  and  easily  obtained 
leave  to  carry  it  home." 

"  And  I  hope,"  said  Clara,  "  he  had  it  varnished 
and  gilded  anew." 

"  No,"  answered  Grandfather.  "  What  Mr.  Hutch- 
inson  desired  was,  to  restore  the  chair  as  much  as  pos 
sible  to  its  original  aspect,  such  as  it  had  appeared 
when,  it  was  first  made  out  of  the  Earl  of  Lincoln's 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  141 

oak-tree.  For  this  purpose  he  ordered  it  to  be  well 
scoured  with  soap  and  sand  and  polished  with  wax, 
and  then  provided  it  with  a  substantial  leather  cush 
ion.  When  all  was  completed  to  his  mind  he  sat 
down  in  the  old  chair,  and  began  to  write  his  History 
of  Massachusetts." 

"Oh,  that  was  a  bright  thought  in  Mr.  Hutch- 
inson  !  "  exclaimed  Laurence.  "  And  no  doubt  the 
dim  figures  of  the  former  possessors  of  the  chair  flit 
ted  around  him  as  he  wrote,  and  inspired  him  with  a 
knowledge  of  all  that  they  had  done  and  suffered 
while  on  earth." 

"  "Why,  my  dear  Laurence,"  replied  Grandfather, 
smiling,  "  if  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  favored  with  any 
such  extraordinary  inspiration,  he  made  but  a  poor 
use  of  it  in  his  history  ;  for  a  duller  piece  of  compo 
sition  never  came  from  any  man's  pen.  However,  he 
was  accurate,  at  least,  though  far  from  possessing  the 
brilliancy  or  philosophy  of  Mr.  Bancroft." 

"  But  if  Hutchinson  knew  the  history  of  the  chair," 
rejoined  Laurence,  "  his  heart  must  have  been  stirred 
by  it." 

"  It  must,  indeed,"  said  Grandfather.  "  It  would 
be  entertaining  and  instructive,  at  the  present  day,  to 
imagine  what  were  Mr.  Hutchinson's  thoughts  as  he 
looked  back  upon  the  long  vista  of  events  with  which 
this  chair  was  so  remarkably  connected." 

And  Grandfather  allowed  his  fancy  to  shape  out  an 
image  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Hutchinson,  sitting  in 
an  evening  reverie  by  his  fire-side,  and  meditating  on 
the  changes  that  had  slowly  passed  around  the  chair. 

A  devoted  monarchist,  Hutchinson  would  heave  no 
sigh  for  the  subversion  of  the  original  republican  gov- 


142  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

eminent,  the  purest  that  the  world  had  seen,  with 
which  the  colony  began  its  existence.  While  rever 
encing  the  grim  and  stern  old  Puritans  as  the  found 
ers  of  his  native  land,  he  would  not  wish  to  recall 
them  from  their  graves,  nor  to  awTaken  again  that 
king-resisting  spirit  which  he  imagined  to  be  lain 
asleep  with  them  forever.  Winthrop,  Dudley,  Bel- 
lingham,  Endicott,  Leverett,  and  Bradstreet !  all  these 
had  had  their  day.  Ages  might  come  and  go,  but 
never  again  would  the  people's  suffrages  place  a  re 
publican  governor  in  their  ancient  Chair  of  State. 

Coming  down  to  the  epoch  of  the  second  charter, 
Hutchinson  thought  of  the  ship-carpenter  Phips, 
springing  from  the  lowest  of  the  people  and  attaining 
to  the  loftiest  station  in  the  land.  But  he  smiled  to 
perceive  that  this  governor's  example  would  awaken 
110  turbulent  ambition  in  the  lower  orders ;  for  it  was 
a  king's  gracious  boon  alone  that  made  the  ship-car 
penter  a  ruler.  Hutchinson  rejoiced  to  mark  the 
gradual  growth  of  an  aristocratic  class,  to  whom  the 
common  people,  as  in  duty  bound,  were  learning 
humbly  to  resign  the  honors,  emoluments,  and  au 
thority  of  state.  He  saw — or  else  deceived  himself— 
that,  throughout  this  epoch,  the  people's  disposition 
to  self-government  had  been  growing  weaker  through 
long  disuse,  and  now  existed  only  as  a  faint  tradition 
ary  feeling. 

The  lieutenant-governor's  reverie  had  now  come 
down  to  the  period  at  which  he  himself  was  sitting 
in  the  historic  chair.  He  endeavored  to  throw  his 
glance  forward  over  the  coming  years.  There,  prob 
ably,  he  saw  visions  of  hereditary  rank  for  himself 
and  other  aristocratic  colonists.  lie  saw  the  fertile 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  143 

fields  of  Xew  England  proportioned  out  among  a  few 
great  landholders,  and  descending  by  entail  from  gen 
eration  to  generation.  He  saw  the  people  a  race  of 
tenantry,  dependent  on  their  lords.  He  saw  stars, 
garters,  coronets,  and  castles. 

"But,"  added  Grandfather,  turning  to  Laurence, 
"  the  lieutenant-governor's  castles  were  built  nowhere 
but  among  the  red  embers  of  the  fire  before  which 
lie  was  sitting.  And,  just  as  he  had  constructed  a 
baronial  residence  for  himself  and  his  posterity,  the 
fire  rolled  down  upon  the  hearth  and  crumbled  it  to 
ashes !  " 

Grandfather  now  looked  at  his  watch,  which  hung 
within  a  beautiful  little  ebony  temple,  supported  by 
four  Ionic  columns.  He  then  laid  his  hand  on  the 
golden  locks  of  little  Alice,  whose  head  had  sunk 
down  upon  the  arm  of  our  illustrious  chair. 

"  To  bed,  to  bed,  dear  child  !  "  said  he.     "  Grand 
father   has  put  you  to  sleep  already  by  his   stories 
about  these  FAMOUS  OLD  PEOPLE." 


LIBERTY     TREE 


WITH   THE    LAST   WORDS   OF 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR. 


PREFACE. 


HAS  the  youthful  reader  grown  weary  of  Grand 
father's  stories  about  his  chair  ?  Will  he  not  come 
this  once  more  to  our  fire-side  and  be  received  as  an 
own  grandchild,  and  as  brother,  sister,  or  cousin  to 
Laurence,  Clara,  Charley,  and  little  Alice  ?  Come, 
do  not  be  bashful,  nor  afraid.  You  will  find  Grand 
father  a  kindly  old  man,  with  a  cheerful  spirit,  and  a 
heart  that  has  grown  mellow,  instead  of  becoming 
dry  and  wilted  writh  age. 

He  will  tell  you  how  King  George,  trusting  in  the 
might  of  his  armies  and  navies,  sought  to  establish  a 
tyranny  over  our  fathers.  Then  you  shall  hear  about 
Liberty  Tree,  and  what  crowds  used  to  assemble  with 
in  the  circumference  of  its  shadow.  Grandfather 
must  speak  also  about  riots  and  disorders,  and  how 
an  angry  multitude  broke  into  the  mansion  of  the 
lieutenant-governor.  Next,  he  will  show  you  the 
proud  array  of  British  soldiers,  in  their  uniforms  of 
scarlet  and  gold,  landing  at  Long  Wharf,  and  march 
ing  to  take  possession  of  the  Common  and  Faneuil 
Hall  and  the  Old  State  House.  Then  you  must  listen 
to  the  dismal  tale  of  the  Boston  Massacre.  Next 
comes  the  marvellous  story  of  the  tea  ships  and  of 
that  band  of  Indian  figures  who  made  their  appearance 
in  the  dusk  of  evening  and  vanished  before  the  dawn 


148  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR 

of  day.  Now  come  more  and  more  regiments  of  sol 
diers.  Their  tents  whiten  the  Common  like  untimely 
snow.  Their  war-horses  prance  and  neigh  within  the 
walls  of  the  Old  South  Church.  Hark !  that  faint 
echo  comes  from  Lexington,  where  the  British  soldiers 
have  fired  a  volley  that  begins  the  war  of  the  Revo 
lution.  The  people  are  up  in  arms.  Gage,  Howe, 
Bnrgoyne,  Lord  Percy,  and  many  another  haughty 
Englishman  are  beleagured  within  the  peninsula  of 
Boston.  The  Americans  build  batteries  on  every 
hill ;  and  look  !  a  warlike  figure,  on  a  white  horse, 
rides  majestically  from  height  to  height  and  directs 
the  progress  of  the  siege.  Can  it  be  WASHINGTON  ? 

Then  Grandfather  will  call  up  the  shadow  of  a  de 
voted  loyalist,  and  strive  to  paint  him  to  your  eyes 
and  heart  as  he  takes  his  farewell  walk  through  Bos 
ton.  We  will  trace  his  melancholy  steps  from  Faneuil 
Hall  to  Liberty  Tree.  That  famous  tree !  The  axes 
of  the  British  soldiers  have  hewn  it  down,  but  not  be 
fore  its  wind-strewn  leaves  had  scattered  the  spirit 
of  freedom  far  and  wide — not  before  its  roots  had 
sprouted  even  in  the  distant  soil  of  Georgia. 

Amid  all  these  wonderful  matters  we  shall  not  lose 
sight  of  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  On  its  sturdy  oaken 
legs  it  trudges  diligently  from  one  scene  to  another, 
and  seems  always  to  thrust  itself  in  the  way  with  the 
most  benign  complacency,  whenever  an  historical 
personage  happens  to  be  looking  round  for  a  seat. 
The  excellent  old  Chair  !  Let  the  reader  make  much 
of  it  while  lie  may ;  for  with  this  little  volume 
Grandfather  concludes  its  history,  and  withdraws  it 
from  the  public  eye. 

BOSTON,  Feb.  27,  1841. 


LIBERTY  TREE, 

WITH  THE  LAST  WORDS  OF  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR 


CHAPTER  I. 

ON  the  evening  of  New  Year's  Day  Grandfather 
was  walking  to  and  fro  across  the  carpet,  listening  to 
the  rain  which  beat  hard  against  the  curtained  win 
dows.  The  riotous  blast  shook  the  casement  as  if  a 
strong  man  were  striving  to  force  his  entrance  into 
the  comfortable  room.  With  every  puff  of  the  wind 
the  fire  leaped  upward  from  the  hearth,  laughing  and 
rejoicing  at  the  shrieks  of  the  wintry  storm. 

Meanwhile  Grandfather's  chair  stood  in  its  custom 
ary  place  by  the  fireside.  The  bright  blaze  gleamed 
upon  the  fantastic  figures  of  its  oaken  back,  and 
shone  through  the  open-work,  so  that  a  complete 
pattern  was  thrown  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the 
room.  Sometimes,  for  a  moment  or  two,  the  shadow 
remained  immovable,  as  if  it  were  painted  on  the 
wall.  Then,  all  at  once,  it  began  to  quiver,  and  leap, 
and  dance  with  a  frisky  motion.  Anon,  seeming  to 
remember  that  these  antics  were  unworthy  of  si:ch  a 
dignified  and  venerable  chair,  it  suddenly  stood  still. 
But  soon  it  began  to  dance  anew. 

"  Only  see  how  Grandfather's  chair  is  dancing  !  * 
cried  little  Alice. 


150  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

And  she  ran  to  the  wall  and  tried  to  catch  hold  of 
the  flickering  shadow ;  for,  to  children  of  five  years 
old,  a  shadow  seems  almost  as  real  as  a  substance. 

"  I  wish,"  said  Clara,  "  Grandfather  would  sit  down 
in  the  chair  and  finish  its  history." 

If  the  children  had  been  looking  at  Grandfather, 
they  would  have  noticed  that  he  paused  in  his  walk 
across  the  room  when  Clara  made  this  remark.  The 
kind  old  gentleman  was  ready  and  willing  to  resume 
his  stories  of  departed  times.  But  he  had  resolved 
to  wait  till  his  auditors  should  request  him  to  proceed, 
in  order  that  they  might  find  the  instructive  history 
of  the  chair  a  pleasure,  and  not  a  task. 

"  Grandfather,"  said  Charley,  "  I  am  tired  to  death 
of  this  dismal  rain  and  of  hearing  the  wind  roar  in 
the  chimney.  I  have  had  no  good  time  all  day.  It 
would  be  better  to  hear  stories  about  the  chair  than 
to  sit  doing  nothing  and  thinking  of  nothing." 

To  say  the  truth,  our  friend  Charley  was  very 
much  out  of  humor  with  the  storm,  because  it  had 
kept  him  all  day  within  doors,  and  hindered  him 
from  making  a  trial  of  a  splendid  sled,  which  Grand 
father  had  given  him  for  a  New  Year's  gift.  As  all 
sleds,  nowadays,  must  have  a  name,  the  one  in  ques 
tion  had  been  honored  with  the  title  of  GRAND 
FATHER'S  CHAIR,  which  was  painted  in  golden  letters 
on  each  of  the  sides.  Charley  greatly  admired  the 
construction  of  the  new  vehicle,  and  felt  certain  that 
it  would  outstrip  any  other  sled  that  ever  dashed 
adown  the  long  slopes  of  the  Common. 

As  for  Laurence,  he  happened  to  be  thinking,  just 
at  this  moment,  about  the  history  of  the  chair.  Kind 
old  Grandfather  had  made  him  a  present  of  a  volume 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  151 

of  engraved  portraits,  representing  the  features  of 
eminent  and  famous  people  of  all  countries.  Among 
them  Laurence  found  several  who  had  formerly  oc 
cupied  our  chair  or  been  connected  with  its  adven 
tures.  While  Grandfather  walked  to  and  fro  across 
the  room,  the  imaginative  boy  was  gazing  at  the  his 
toric  chair.  He  endeavored  to  summon  up  the  por 
traits  which  he  had  seen  in  his  volume,  and  to  place 
them,  like  living  figures,  in  the  empty  seat. 

"The  old  chair  has  begun  another  year  of  its  exist 
ence,  to-day,"  said  Laurence.  "  We  must  make  haste, 
or  it  will  have  a  new  history  to  be  told  before  we  fin 
ish  the  old  one." 

"Yes,  my  children,"  replied  Grandfather  with  a 
smile  and  a  sigh,  "  another  year  has  been  added  to 
those  of  the  two  hundred  and  ten  which  have  passed 
since  the  Lady  Arbella  brought  this  chair  over  from 
England.  It  is  three  times  as  old  as  your  Grand 
father;  but  a  year  makes  no  impression  on  its  oaken 
frame,  while  it  bends  the  old  man  nearer  and  nearer 
to  the  earth ;  so  let  me  go  on  with  my  stories  while 
I  may." 

Accordingly  Grandfather  came  to  the  fireside  and 
seated  himself  in  the  venerable  chair.  The  lion's 
head  looked  down  with  a  grimly  good-natured  aspect 
as  the  children  clustered  around  the  old  gentleman's 
knees.  It  almost  seemed  as  if  a  real  lion  were  peep 
ing  over  the  back  of  the  chair,  and  smiling  at  the 
group  of  auditors  with  a  sort  of  lion-like  complai 
sance.  Little  Alice,  whose  fancy  often  inspired  her 
with  singular  ideas,  exclaimed  that  the  lion's  head 
was  nodding  at  her,  and  that  it  looked  as  if  it  were 
going  to  open  its  wide  jaws  and  tell  a  story. 


152  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

But  as  the  lion's  head  appeared  to  be  in  no  haste 
to  speak,.and  as  there  was  no  record  or  tradition  of 
its  having  spoken  during  the  whole  existence  of  the 
chair,  Grandfather  did  not  consider  it  worth  while  to 
wait. 


CHAPTER  II. 

,  my  boy,"  said  Grandfather,  udo  you 
remember  who  was  the  last  occupant  of  the  chair  ? " 

ult  was  Lieutenant  Governor  Hutchinson,"  an 
swered  Charley.  "  Sir  Francis  Bernard,  the  new 
governor,  had  given  him  the  chair,  instead  of  putting 
it  away  in  the  garret  of  the  Province  House.  And 
when  we  took  leave  of  Ilutchinson  he  was  sitting  by 
his  fireside,  and  thinking  of  the  past  adventures  of 
the  chair  and  of  what  was  to  come." 

"Very  well,"  said  Grandfather;  "and  you  recol 
lect  that  this  was  in  1763,  or  thereabouts,  at  the  close 
of  the  Old  French  War.  Now,  that  you  may  fully 
comprehend  the  remaining  adventures  of  the  chair,  I 
must  make  some  brief  remarks  on  the  situation  and 
character  of  the  Xew  England  colonies  at  this 
period." 

So  Grandfather  spoke  of  the  earnest  loyalty  of  our 
fathers  during  the  Old  French  War,  and  after  the 
conquest  of  Canada  had  brought  that  war  to  a  tri 
umphant  close. 

The  people  loved  and  reverenced  the  King  of  Eng 
land  even  more  than  if  the  ocean  had  not  rolled  its 
waves  between  him  and  them  ;  for,  at  the  distance  of 
three  thousand  miles,  they  could  not  discover  his  bad 
qualities  and  imperfections.  Their  love  was  increased 
by  the  dangers  which  they  had  encountered  in  order 
to  heighten  his  glory  and  extend  his  dominion. 


154  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

Throughout  the  war  the  American  colonists  had 
fought  side  by  side  with  the  soldiers  of  Old  England ; 
and  nearly  thirty  thousand  young  men  had  laid  down 
their  lives  for  the  honor  of  King  George.  And  the 
survivors  loved  him  the  better  because  they  had  done 
and  suffered  so  much  for  his  sake. 

But  there  were  some  circumstances  that  caused 
America  to  feel  more  independent  of  England  than 
at  an  earlier  period.  Canada  and  Acadia  had  now 
become  British  provinces  ;  and  our  fathers  were  no 
longer  afraid  of  the  bands  of  French  and  Indians  who 
used  to  assault  them  in  old  times.  For  a  century  and 
a  half  this  had  been  the  great  terror  of  New  England. 
Now  the  old  French  soldier  was  driven  from  the  north 
forever.  And,  even  had  it  been  otherwise,  the  Eng 
lish  colonies  were  growing  so  populous  and  powerful 
that  they  might  have  felt  fully  able  to  protect  them 
selves  without  any  help  from  England. 

There  were  thoughtful  and  sagacious  men,  who  be 
gan  to  doubt  whether  a  great  country  like  America 
would  always  be  content  to  remain  under  the  govern 
ment  of  an  island  three  thousand  miles  away.  This 
was  the  more  doubtful,  because  the  English  Parlia 
ment  had  long  ago  made  laws  which  wrere  intended 
to  be  very  beneficial  to  England  at  the  expense  of 
America.  By  these  laws  the  colonists  were  forbid 
den  to  manufacture  articles  for  their  own  use,  or  to 
carry  on  trade  with  any  nation  but  the  English. 

"  Now,"  continued  Grandfather,  "  if  King  George 
the  Third  and  his  counsellors  had  considered  these 
things  wisely,  they  would  have  taken  another  course 
than  they  did.  But  when  they  saw  how  rich  and 
populous  the  colonies  had  grown?  their  first  thought 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  155 

was  how  they  might  make  more  profit  out  of  them 
than  heretofore.  England  was  enormously  in  debt 
at  the  close  of  the  Old  French  War ;  and  it  was  pre 
tended  that  this  debt  had  been  contracted  for  the  de 
fence  of  the  American  colonies,  and  that,  therefore, 
a  part  of  it  ought  to  be  paid  by  them." 

"Why,  this  was  nonsense,"  exclaimed  Charley. 
"  Did  not  our  fathers  spend  their  lives,  and  their 
money  too,  to  get  Canada  for  King  George? " 

"  True,  they  did,"  said  Grandfather ;  "  and  they 
told  the  English  rulers  so.  But  the  king  and  his 
ministers  would  not  listen  to  good  advice.  In.  1765 
the  British  Parliament  passed  a  Stamp  Act." 

"  What  was  that  ? "  inquired  Charley. 

"  The  Stamp  Act,"  replied  Grandfather,  "  was  a 
law  by  which  all  deeds,  bonds,  and  other  papers  of 
the  same  kind  were  ordered  to  be  marked  with  the 
king's  stamp  ;  and  without  this  mark  they  were  de 
clared  illegal  and  void.  Kow,  in  order  to  get  a  blank 
sheet  of  paper  with  the  king's  stamp  upon  it,  people 
were  obliged  to  pay  threepence  more  than  the  actual 
value  of  the  paper.  And  this  extra  sum  of  threepence 
was  a  tax,  and  was  to  be  paid  into  the  king's  treas 
ury." 

"  I  am  sure  threepence  was  not  worth  quarrelling 
about !  "  remarked  Clara. 

"  It  was  not  for  threepence,  nor  for  any  amount  of 
money,  that  America  quarrelled  with  England,"  re 
plied  Grandfather ;  "  it  was  for  a  great  principle. 
The  colonists  were  determined  not  to  be  taxed  except 
by  their  own  representatives.  They  said  that  neither 
the  king  and  Parliament,  nor  any  other  power  on 
earth,  had  a  right  to  take  their  money  out  of  their 


156  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

pockets  unless  they  freely  gave  it.  And,  rather  than 
pay  threepence  when  it  was  unjustly  demanded,  they 
resolved  to  sacrifice  all  the  wealth  of  the  country,  and 
their  lives  along  with  it.  They  therefore  made  a  most 
stubborn  resistance  to  the  Stamp  Act." 

"  That  was  noble !  "  exclaimed  Laurence.  "  I  un 
derstand  how  it  was.  If  they  had  quietly  paid  the 
tax  of  threepence,  they  would  have  ceased  to  be  free 
men,  and  would  have  become  tributaries  of  England. 
And  so  they  contended  about  a  great  question  of  right 
and  wrong,  and  put  everything  at  stake  for  it." 

"  You  are  right,  Laurence,"  said  Grandfather,  "  and 
it  was  really  amazing  and  terrible  to  see  what  a 
change  came  over  the  aspect  of  the  people  the  mo 
ment  the  English  Parliament  had  passed  this  oppres 
sive  act.  The  former  history  of  our  chair,  my  chil 
dren,  has  given  you  some  idea  of  what  a  harsh, 
unyielding,  stern  set  of  men  the  old  Puritans  were. 
For  a  good  many  years  back,  however,  it  had  seemed 
as  if  these  characteristics  were  disappearing.  But  no 
sooner  did  England  offer  wrong  to  the  colonies  than 
the  descendants  of  the  early  settlers  proved  that  they 
had  the  same  kind  of  temper  as  their  forefathers. 
The  moment  before,  New  England  appeared  like  a 
humble  and  loyal  subject  of  the  crown ;  the  next  in 
stant,  she  showed  the  grim,  dark  features  of  an  old 
king-resisting  Puritan." 

Grandfather  spoke  briefly  of  the  public  measures 
that  were  taken  in  opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act.  As 
this  law  affected  all  the  American  colonies  alike,  it 
naturally  led  them  to  think  of  consulting  together  in 
order  to  procure  its  repeal.  For  this  purpose  the 
Legislature  of  Massachusetts  proposed  that  delegates 


GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR.  157 

from  every  colony  should  meet  in  Congress.  Accord 
ingly  nine  colonies,  both  northern  and  southern,  sent 
delegates  to  the  city  of  New  York. 

"  And  did  they  consult  about  going  to  war  with 
England  ?  "  asked  Charley. 

"  No,  Charley,"  answered  Grandfather ;  "  a  great 
deal  of  talking  was  yet  to  be  done  before  England 
and  America  could  come  to  blows.  The  Congress 
stated  the  rights  and  grievances  of  the  colonies.  They 
sent  an  humble  petition  to  the' king,  and  a  memorial 
to  the  Parliament,  beseeching  that  the  Stamp  Act 
might  be  repealed.  This  was  all  that  the  delegates 
had  it  in  their  power  to  do." 

"  They  might  as  well  have  stayed  at  home,  then," 
said  Charley. 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  Grandfather.  "  It  was  a 
most  important  and  memorable  event, — this  first  com 
ing  together  of  the  American  people  by  their  repre 
sentatives  from  the  north  and  south.  If  England 
had  been  wise,  she  would  have  trembled  at  the  first 
word  that  was  spoken  in  such  an  assembly  ! " 

These  remonstrances  and  petitions,  as  Grandfather 
observed,  were  the  work  of  grave,  thoughtful,  and 
prudent  men.  Meantime  the  young  and  hot-headed 
people  went  to  work  in  their  own  way.  It  is  prob 
able  that  the  petitions  of  Congress  would  >have  had 
little  or  no  effect  on  the  British  statesmen  if  the  vio 
lent  deeds  of  the  American  people  had  not  shown  how 
much  excited  the  people  were.  LIBERTY  TKEE  was 
soon  heard  of  in  England. 

O 

"  What  was  Liberty  Tree?"  inquired  Clara.  ' 
"  It  was  an  old  elm  tree,"  answered  Grandfather, 
"  which  stood  near  the  corner  of  Essex  street,  op- 


158  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

posite  the  Boylston  Market.  Under  the  spreading 
branches  of  this  great  tree  the  people  used  to  assem 
ble  whenever  they  wished  to  express  their  feelings 
and  opinions.  Thus,  after  a  while,  it  seemed  as  if 
the  liberty  of  the  country  was  connected  with  Liberty 
Tree." 

"  It  was  glorious  fruit  for  a  tree  to  bear,"  remarked 
Laurence. 

"It  bore  strange  fruit,  sometimes,"  said  Grand 
father.  "  One  morning  in  August,  1765,  two  figures 
were  found  hanging  on  the  sturdy  branches  of  Lib 
erty  Tree.  They  were  dressed  in  square-skirted 
coats  and  small-clothes;  and,  as  their  wigs  hung 
down  over  their  faces,  they  looked  like  real  men. 
One  was  intended  to  represent  the  Earl  of  Bute, 
who  was  supposed  to  have  advised  the  king  to  tax 
America.  The  other  was  meant  for  the  effigy  of  An 
drew  Oliver,  a  gentleman  belonging  to  one  of  the 
most  respectable  families  in  Massachusetts." 

"  What  harm  had  he  done  ? "  inquired  Charley. 

"  The  king  had  appointed  him  to  be  distributor  of 
the  stamps,"  answered  Grandfather.  "  Mr.  Oliver 
would  have  made  a  great  deal  of  money  by  this  busi 
ness.  But  the  people  frightened  him  so  much  by 
hanging  him  in  effigy,  and  afterwards  by  breaking 
into  his  house,  that  he  promised  to  have  nothing  to 
do  with  the  stamps.  And  all  the  king's  friends 
throughout  America  were  compelled  to  make  the 
same  promise." 


CHAPTER  III. 

"  LIEUTENANT  Governor  Hntehinson,"  continued 
Grandfather,  "  now  began  to  be  unquiet  in  our  old 
chair.  He  had  formerly  been  much  respected  and 
beloved  by  the  people,  and  had  often  proved  himself 
a  friend  to  their  interests.  But  the  time  was  come 
when  he  could  not  be  a  friend  to  the  people  without 
ceasing  to  be  a  friend  to  the  king.  It  was  pretty 
generally  understood  that  Hutchinson  would  act  ac 
cording  to  the  king's  wishes,  right  or  wrong,  like 
most  of  the  other  gentlemen  who  held  offices  under 
the  crown.  Besides,  as  he  was  brother-in-law  of 
Andrew  Oliver,  the  people  now  felt  a  particular  dis 
like  to  him." 

u  I  should  think,"  said  Laurence,  "  as  Mr.  Ilutchin- 
soii  had  written  the  history  of  our  Puritan  forefath 
ers,  he  would  have  known  what  the  temper  of  the  peo 
ple  was,  and  so  have  taken  care  not  to  wrong  them." 

"  He  trusted  in  the  might  of  the  King  of  England," 
replied  Grandfather,  "  and  thought  himself  safe  under 
the  shelter  of  the  throne.  If  no  dispute  Had  arisen 
between  the  king  and  the  people,  Hutchinson  would 
have  had  the  character  of  a  wise,  good,  and  patriotic 
magistrate.  But,  from  the  time  that  he  took  part 
against  the  rights  of  his  country,  the  people's  love  and 
respect  were  turned  to  scorn  and  hatred,  and  he  never 
had  another  hour  of  peace." 

In   order  to   show  what   a  fierce   and   dangerous 


160  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

spirit  was  now  aroused  among  the  inhabitants,  Grand 
father  related  a  passage  from  history  which  we  shall 
call 

TJIE    IIUTCHINSON    MOB. 

On  the  evening  of  the  twenty-sixth  of  August, 
1765,  a  bonfire  was  kindled  in  King  street.  It 
flamed  high  upward,  and  threw  a  ruddy  light  over 
the  front  of  the  town  house,  on  which  was  xlisplayed 
a  carved  representation  of  the  royal  arms.  The  gilded 
varie  of  the  cupola  glittered  in  the  blaze.  The  kind 
ling  of  this  bonfire  was  the  well  known  signal  for  the 
populace  of  Boston  to  assemble  in  the  street. 

Before  the  tar-barrels,  of  which  the  bonfire  was 
made,  were  half  burned  out,  a  great  crowd  had  come 
together.  They  were  chiefly  laborers  and  seafaring 
men,  together  with  many  young  apprentices,  and  all 
those  idle  people  about  town  who  are  ready  for  any 
kind  of  mischief.  Doubtless  some  school-boys  were 
among  them. 

While  these  rough  figures  stood  round  the  blazing 
bonfire,  you  might  hear  them  speaking  bitter  words 
against  the  high  officers  of  the  province.  Governor 
Bernard,  Hutchinson,  Oliver,  Storey,  Hallo  well,  and 
other  men  whom  King  George  delighted  to  honor, 
were  reviled  as  traitors  to  the  country.  Now  and 
then,  perhaps,  an  officer  of  the  crown  passed  along 
the  street,  wearing  the  gold-laced  hat,  white  wig,  and 
embroidered  waistcoat  which  were  the  fashion  of  the 
day.  But  when  the  people  beheld  him  they  set  up  a 
wild  and  angry  howl ;  and  their  faces  had  an  evil  as 
pect,  which  was  made  more  terrible  by  the  flickering 
blaze  of  .  the  bonfire. 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  161 

"  I  should  like  to  throw  the  traitor  right  into  that 
blaze ! "  perhaps  one  fierce  rioter  would  say. 

"  Yes  ;  and  all  his  brethren  too  !  "  another  might 
reply  ;  "  and  the  governor  and  old  Tommy  Hutchin- 
eon  into  the  hottest  of  it !  " 

"  And  the  Earl  of  Bute  along  with  them  !  "  mut 
tered  a  third ;  "  and  burn  the  whole  pack  of  them 
under  King  George's  nose  !  Xo  matter  if  it  singed 
him ! " 

Some  such  expressions  as  these,  either  shouted 
aloud  or  muttered  under  the  breath,  were  doubtless 
heard  in  King  street.  The  rnob,  meanwhile,  were 
growing  fiercer  and  fiercer,  and  seemed  ready  even  to 
set  the  town  on  fire  for  the  sake  of  burning  the  king's 
friends  out  of  house  and  home.  And  yet,  angry  as 
they  were,  they  sometimes  broke  into  a  loud  roar  of 
laughter,  as  if  mischief  and  destruction  were  their 
sport. 

But  we  must  now  leave  the  rioters  for  a  time,  and 
take  a  peep  into  the  lieutenant  governor's  splendid 
mansion.  It  was  a  large  brick  house,  decorated  with 
Ionic  pilasters,  and  stood  in  Garden  Court  street,  near 
the  North  Square. 

"While  the  angry  mob  in  King  street  were  shouting 
his  name,  Lieutenant  Governor  Ilutchinson  sat  quietly 
in  Grandfather's  chair,  unsuspicious  of  the^evil  that 
was  about  to  fall  upon  his  head.  His  beloved  family 
were  in  the  room  with  him.  He  had  thrown  off  his 
embroidered  coat  and  powdered  wig,  and  had  on  a 
loose  flowing  gown  and  purple  velvet  cap.  He  had 
likewise  laid  aside  the  cares  of  state  and  all  the 
thoughts  that  had  wearied  and  perplexed  him  through 
out  the  day. 
11 


162  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

Perhaps,  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  home,  he  had 
forgotten  all  about  the  Stamp  Act,  and  scarcely  re 
membered  that  there  was  a  king,  across  the  ocean, 
who  had  resolved  to  make  tributaries  of  the  New 
Englanders.  Possibly,  too,  he  had  forgotten  his 
own  ambition,  and  would  not  have  exchanged  his 
situation,  at  that  moment,  to  be  governor,  or  even  a 
lord. 

The  wax  candles  were  now  lighted,  and  showed  a 
handsome  room,  well  provided  with  rich  furniture. 
On  the  walls  hung  the  pictures  of  Ilutchinson's  ances 
tors,  who  had  been  eminent  men  in  their  day,  and  were 
honorably  remembered  in  the  history  of  the  country. 
Every  object  served  to  mark  the  residence  of  a  rich, 
aristocratic  gentleman,  who  held  himself  high  above 
the  common  people,  and  could  have  nothing  to  fear 
from  them.  In  a  corner  of  the  room,  thrown  careless 
ly  upon  a  chair,  were  the  scarlet  robes  of  the  chief 
justice.  This  high  office,  as  well  as  those  of  lieuten 
ant  governor,  counsellor,  and  judge  of  probate,  was 
filled  by  Ilutchinson. 

"Who  or  what  could  disturb  the  domestic  quiet  of 
such  a  great  and  powerful  personage  as  now  sat  in 
Grandfather's  chair. 

The  lieutenant  governor's  favorite  daughter  sat  by 
his  side.  She  leaned  on  the  arm  of  our  great  chair, 
*nd  looked  up  affectionately  into  her  father's  face,  re- 
,oicing  to  perceive  that  a  quiet  smile  was  on  his  lips. 
But  suddenly  a  shade  came  across  her  countenance. 
She  seemed  to  listen  attentively,  as  if  to  catch  a  dis 
tant  sound. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  my  child  ?"  inquired  Hutch 
inson. 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR  163 

"  Father,  do  not  you  hear  a  tumult  in  the  streets  ?  " 
said  she. 

The  lieutenant  governor  listened.  But  his  ears  were 
duller  than  those  of  his  daughter ;  he  could  hear  noth 
ing  more  terrible  than  the  sound  of  a  summer  breeze, 
sighing  among  the  tops  of  the  elm-trees. 

"  No,  foolish  child  !  "  he  replied,  playfully  patting 
her  cheek.  "  There  is  no  tumult.  Our  Boston  mobs 
are  satisfied  with  what  mischief  they  have  already 
done.  The  king's  friends  need  not  tremble." 

So  Hutchinson  resumed  his  pleasant  and  peaceful 
meditations,  and  again  forgot  that  there  were  any 
troubles  in  the  world.  But  his  family  were  alarmed, 
and  could  not  help  straining  their  ears  to  catch  tho 
slightest  sound.  More  and  more  distinctly  they  heard 
shouts,  and  then  the  trampling  of  many  feet.  While 
they  were  listening,  one  of  the  neighbors  rushed 
breathless  into  the  room. 

"  A  mob  ! — a  terrible  mob  !  "  cried  he.  "  They  have 
broken  into  Mr.  Storey's  house,  and  into  Mr.  Hallo- 
well's,  and  have  made  themselves  drunk  with  the  liq 
uors  in  his  cellar  ;  and  now  they  are  coming  hither,  as 
wild  as  so  many  tigers.  Flee,  lieutenant  governor, 
for  your  life  ?  " 

"  Father,  dear  father,  make  haste ! "  shrieked  his 
children. 

But  Ilutchinson  would  not  hearken  to  them.  He 
was  an  old  lawyer;  and  he  could  not  realize  that  the 
people  would  do  anything  so  utterly  lawless  as  to  as 
sault  him  in  his  peaceful  home.  lie  was  one  of  King 
George's  chief  officers  ;  and  it  would  be  an  insult  and 
outrage  upon  the  king  himself  if  the  lieutenant  gov 
ernor  should  suffer  any  wrong. 


164  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

"  Have  no  fears  on  my  account,"  said  he;  "I  am  pei% 
fectly  safe.  The  king's  name  shall  be  my  protection.'1 

Yet  he  bade  his  family  retire  into  one  of  the  neigh 
boring  houses.  His  daughter  would  have  remained, 
but  he  forced  her  away. 

The  huzzas  and  riotous  uproar  of  the  mob  were  now 
heard,  close  at  hand.  The  sound  was  terrible,  and 
struck  Hutchinson  with  the  same  sort  of  dread  as  if 
an  enraged  wild  beast  had  broken  loose  and  were  roar 
ing  for  its  prey.  He  crept  softly  to  the  window. 
There  he  beheld  an  immense  concourse  of  people,  fill 
ing  all  the  street  and  rolling  onward  to  his  house. 
It  was  like  a  tempestuous  flood,  that  had  swelled  be 
yond  its  bounds  and  would  sweep  everything  before  it. 
Hutchinson  trembled ;  he  felt,  at  that  moment,  that 
the  wrath  of  the  people  was  a  thousand-fold  more  ter 
rible  than  the  wrath  of  a  king. 

That  wras  a  moment  when  a  loyalist  and  an  aristo 
crat  like  Hutchinson  might  have  learned  how  power 
less  are  kings,  nobles,  and  great  men,  wThen  the  low 
and  humble  range  themselves  against  them.  King 
George  could  do  nothing  for  his  servant  now.  Had 
King  George  been  there  he  could  have  done  nothing 
for  himself.  If  Hutchinson  had  understood  this  les 
son,  and  remembered  it,  he  need  not,  in  after  years, 
have  been  an  exile  from  his  native  country,  nor  finally 
have  laid  his  bones  in  a  distant  land. 

There  was  now  a  rush  against  the  doors  of  the 
house.  The  people  sent  up  a  discordant  cry.  At 
this  instant  the  lieutenant  governor's  daughter,  whom 
he  had  supposed  to  be  in  a  place  of  safety,  ran  into 
the  room  and  threw  her  arms  around  him.  She  had 
returned  by  a  private  entrance. 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  165 

"  Father,  are  you  mad  ?  "  cried  she.  "  Will  the 
king's  name  protect  you  now  ?  Come  with  me,  or 
they  will  have  your  life." 

"  True,"  muttered  Hutchinson  to  himself ;  "  what 
care  these  roarers  for  the  name  of  king  ?  I  must  flee, 
or  they  will  trample  me  down  on  the  door  of  my  own 
dwelling!" 

Hurrying  away,  he  and  his  daughter  made  their  es 
cape  by  the  private  passage  at  the  moment  when  the 
rioters  broke  into  the  house.  The  foremost  of  them 
rushed  up  the  stair-case,  and  entered  the  room  which 
Hutchinson  had  just  quitted.  There  they  beheld  our 
good  old  chair  facing  them  with  quiet  dignity,  while 
the  lion's  head  seemed  to  move  its  jaws  in  the  unsteady 
light  of  their  torches.  Perhaps  the  stately  aspect  of 
our  venerable  friend,  which  had  stood  firm  through  a 
century  and  a  half  of  trouble,  arrested  them  for  an 
instant.  But  they  were  thrust  forward  by  those  be 
hind,  and  the  chair  lay  overthrown. 

Then  began  the  work  of  destruction.  The  carved 
and  polished  mahogany  tables  were  shattered  with 
heavy  clubs  and  hewn  to  splinters  with  axes.  The 
marble  hearths  and  mantel  pieces  were  broken.  The 
volumes  of  Hutchin son's  library,  so  precious  to  a  stu 
dious  man,  were  torn  out  of  their  covers,  and  the 
leaves  sent  flying  out  of  the  windows.  -Manuscripts, 
containing  secrets  of  our  country's  history,  which  are 
now  lost  forever,  were  scattered  to  the  winds. 

The  old  ancestral  portraits,  whose  fixed  countenances 
looked  down  on  the  wild  scene,  were  rent  from  the 
walls.  The  mob  triumphed  in  their  downfall  and  de 
struction,  as  if  these  pictures  of  Hutchinson's  fore 
fathers  had  committed  the  same  offences  as  their  de- 


160  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

scendant.  A  tall  looking-glass,  which,  had  hitherto 
presented  a  reflection  of  the  enraged  and  drunken 
multitude,  was  now  smashed  into  a  thousand  frag 
ments.  We  gladly  dismiss  the  scene  from  the  mirror 
of  our  fancy. 

Before  morning  dawned  the  walls  of  the  house  were 
all  that  remained.  The  interior  was  a  dismal  scene 
of  ruin.  A  shower  pattered  in  at  the  broken  windows ; 
and  when  Hutchinson  and  his  family  returned,  they 
stood  shivering  in  the  same  room  where  the  last  even 
ing  had  seen  them  so  peaceful  and  happy. 


"Grandfather,"  said  Laurence,  indignantly,  "  if  the 
people  acted  in  this  manner,  they  were  not  worthy  of 
even  so  much  liberty  as  the  king  of  England  was 
willing  to  allow  them." 

"  It  was  a  most  unjustifiable  act,  like  many  other 
popular  movements  at  that  time,"  replied  Grandfather. 
"  But  we  must  not  decide  against  the  justice  of  the 
people's  cause  merely  because  an  excited  mob  was 
guilty  of  outrageous  violence.  Besides,  all  these 
things  were  done  in  the  first  fury  of  resentment.  Af 
terwards  the  people  grew  more  cairn,  and  were  more 
influenced  by  the  counsel  of  those  wise  and  good  men 
who  conducted  them  safely  and  gloriously  through 
the  Revolution." 

Little  Alice,  with  tears  in  her  blue  eyes,  said  that 
she  hoped  the  neighbors  had  not  let  Lieutenant  Gov 
ernor  Hutchinson  and  his  family  be  homeless  in  the 
street,  but  had  taken  them  into  their  houses  and  been 
kind  to  them,  Cousin  Clara,  recollecting  the  perilous 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  167 

situation  of  our  beloved  chair,  inquired  what  had  be 
come  of  it. 

"  Nothing  was  heard  of  our  chair  for  some  time  af 
terwards,"  answered  Grandfather.  "  One  day  in  Sep 
tember,  the  same  Andrew  Oliver,  of  whom  I  before 
told  you,  was  summoned  to  appear  at  high  noon  under 
Liberty  Tree.  This  was  the  strangest  summons  that 
had  ever  been  heard  of ;  for  it  was  issued  in  the  name 
of  the  whole  people,  who  thus  took  upon  themselves 
the  authority  of  a  sovereign  power.  Mr.  Oliver  dared 
not  disobey.  Accordingly,  at  the  appointed  hour  he 
went,  much  against  his  will,  to  Liberty  Tree." 

Here  Charley  interposed  a  remark  that  poor  Mr. 
Oliver  found  but  little  liberty  under  Liberty  Tree. 
Grandfather  assented. 

"  It  was  a  stormy  day,"  continued  he.  "  The  equi 
noctial  gale  blew  violently,  and  scattered  the  yellow 
leaves  of  Liberty  Tree  all  along  the  street.  Mr.  Oli 
ver's  wig  was  dripping  with  water-drops;  and  he 
probably  looked  haggard,  disconsolate,  and  humbled 
to  the  earth.  Beneath  the  tree,  in  Grandfather's 
chair, — our  own  venerable  chair, — sat  Mr.  Richard 
Dana,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  lie  administered  an 
oath  to  Mr.  Oliver  that  he  would  never  have  anything 
to  do  with  distributing  the  stamps.  A  vast  concourse 
of  people  heard  the  oath,  and  shouted  when  it  was 
taken." 

"  There  is  something  grand  in  this,"  said  Laurence. 
"  I  like  it,  because  the  people  seem  to  have  acted  with 
though tf  ulness  and  dignity  ;  and  this  proud  gentleman, 
one  of  his  Majesty's  high  officers,  was  made  to  feel 
that  King  George  could  not  protect  him  in  doing 
wrong." 


168  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

"  But  it  was  a  sad  day  for  poor  Mr.  Oliver,"  ob 
served  Grandfather.  "  From  his  youth  upward  it  had 
probably  been  the  great  principle  of  his  life  to  be 
faithful  and  obedient  to  the  king.  And  now,  in  his 
old  age,  it  must  have  puzzled  and  distracted  him  to 
find  the  sovereign  people  setting  up  a  claim  to  his 
faith  and  obedience." 

Grandfather  closed  the  evening's  conversation  by 
saying  that  the  discontent  of  America  was  so  great, 
that,  in  1766,  the  British  Parliament  was  compelled 
to  repeal  the  Stamp  Act.  The  people  made  great 
rejoicings,  but  took  care  to  keep  Liberty  Tree  well 
pruned  and  free  from  caterpillars  and  canker  wrorms. 
They  foresaw  that  there  might  yet  be  occasion  for 
them  to  assemble  under  its  far  projecting  shadow. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  next  evening,  Clara,  who  remembered  that  our 
chair  had  been  left  standing  in  the  rain  under  Liberty 
Tree,  earnestly  besought  Grandfather  to  tell  when  and 
where  it  had  next  found  shelter.  Perhaps  she  was 
afraid  that  the  venerable  chair,  by  being  exposed  to 
the  inclemency  of  a  September  gale,  might  get  the 
rheumatism  in  its  aged  joints. 

"  The  chair,"  said  Grandfather,  "  after  the  ceremony 
of  Mr.  Oliver's  oath,  appears  to  have  been  quite  for 
gotten  by  the  multitude.  Indeed,  being  much  bruised 
and  rather  rickety,  owing  to  the  violent  treatment  it 
had  suffered  from  the  Hutchinson  mob,  most  people 
would  have  thought  that  its  days  of  usefulness  were 
over.  Nevertheless,  it  was  conveyed  away  under 
cover  of  the  night  and  committed  to  the  care  of  a 
skilful  joiner.  lie  doctored  our  old  friend  so  success 
fully,  that,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  it  made  its 
appearance  in  the  public  room  of  the  British  Coffee 
House,  in  King  street." 

"  But  why  did  not  Mr.  Hutchinson  get  possession 
of  it  again  ?  "  iquired  Charley. 

"  I  know  not,"  answered  Grandfather,  "  unless  he 
considered  it  a  dishonor  and  disgrace  to  the  chair  to 
have  stood  under  Liberty  Tree.  At  all  events,  he 
suffered  it  to  remain  at  the  British  Coffee  House, 
which  was  the  prinqipal  hotel  in  Boston.  It  could 
not  possibly  have  found  a  situation  where  it  would  be 


170  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

more  in  the  midst  of  business  and  bustle,  or  would 
witness  more  important  events,  or  be  occupied  by  a 
greater  variety  of  persons." 

Grandfather  went  on  to  tell  the  proceedings  of  the 
despotic  king  and  ministry  of  England  after  the  repeal 
of  the  Stamp  Act.  They  could  not  bear  to  think  that 
their  right  to  tax  America  should  be  disputed  by  the 
people.  In  the  year  1767,  therefore,  they  caused  Par 
liament  to  pass  an  act  for  laying  a  duty  on  tea  and 
some  other  articles  that  were  in  general  use.  Nobody 
could  now  buy  a  pound  of  tea  without  paying  a  tax 
to  King  George.  This  scheme  was  pretty  craftily 
contrived  ;  for  the  women  of  America  were  very  fond 
of  tea,  and  did  not  like  to  give  up  the  use  of  it. 

But  the  people  were  as  much  opposed  to  this  new 
act  of  Parliament  as  they  had  been  to  the  Stamp  Act. 
England,  however,  was  determined  that  they  should 
submit.  In  order  to  compel  their  obedience,  two  reg 
iments,  consisting  of  more  than  seven  hundred  British 
soldiers,  wrere  sent  to  Boston.  They  arrived  in  Sep 
tember,  17G8,  and  were  landed  on  Long  wharf. 
Thence  they  marched  to  the  Common  with  loaded 
muskets,  fixed  bayonets,  and  great  pomp  and  parade. 
So  now,  at  last,  the  free  town  of  Boston  was  guarded 
and  overawed  by  red-coats  as  it  had  been  in  the  days 
of  old  Sir  Edmund  Andros. 

In  the  month  of  November  more  regiments  arrived. 
There  were  now  four  thousand  troops  in  Boston.  The 
Common  was  whitened  with  their  tents.  Some  of 
the  soldiers  were  lodged  in  Faneuil  Hall,  which  the 
inhabitants  looked  upon  as  a  consecrated  place,  be 
cause  it  had  been  the  scene  of  a  great  many  meetings 
in  favor  of  liberty.  One  regiment  was  placed  in  the 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  171 

Town  House,  which  we  now  call  the  Old  State  House. 
The  lower  floor  of  this  edifice  had  hitherto  been  used 
by  the  merchants  as  an  exchange.  In  the  uppei 
stories  were  the  chambers  of  the  judges,  the  repre 
sentatives,  and  the  governor's  council.  The  venerable 
counsellors  could  not  assemble  to  consult  about  the 
welfare  of  the  province  without  being  challenged  by 
sentinels  and  passing  among  the  bayonets  of  the 
British  soldiers. 

Sentinels,  likewise,  were  posted  at  the  lodgings  of 
the  officers  in  many  parts  of  the  town.  "When  the 
inhabitants  approached  they  were  greeted  by  the  sharp 
question — "Who  goes  there?" — while  the  rattle  of 
the  soldier's  musket  was  heard  as  he  presented  it 
against  their  breasts.  There  was  no  quiet  even  on 
the  Sabbath  day.  The  pious  descendants  of  the 
Puritans  were  shocked  by  the  uproar  of  military 
music ;  the  drum,  the  fife,  and  bugle  drowning  the 
holy  organ  peal  and  the  voices  of  the  singers.  It 
would  appear  as  if  the  British  took  every  method  to 
insult  the  feelings  of  the  people. 

"  Grandfather,"  cried  Charley,  impatiently,  "  the 
people  did  not  go  to  fighting  half  soon  enough  !  These 
British  red-coats  ought  to  have  been  driven  back  to 
their  vessels  the  very  moment  they  landed  on  Long 
wharf." 

"  Many  a  hot-headed  young  man  said  the  same  as 
you  do,  Charley,"  answered  Grandfather.  "  But  the 
elder  and  wiser  people  saw  that  the  time  was  not  yet 
come.  Meanwhile,  let  us  take  another  peep  at  our 
old  chair." 

"  Ah,  it  drooped  its  head*  I  know,"  said  Charley, 
4<  when  it  saw  how  the  province  was  disgraced.  Its 


172  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR 

old  puritan  friends  never  would  have  borne  such  do 
ings." 

"  The  chair,"  proceeded  Grandfather,  "  was  now 
continually  occupied  by  some  of  the  high  tories,  as 
the  king's  friends  were  called,  who  frequented  the 
British  Coffee  House.  Officers  of  the  custom  house, 
too,  which  stood  on  the  opposite  side  of  King  Street, 
often  sat  in  the  chair  wagging  their  tongues  against 
John  Hancock." 

"  Why  against  him  ?  "  asked  Charley. 

"  Because  he  was  a  great  merchant  and  contended 
against  paying  duties  to  the  king,"  said  Grand 
father. 

"Well,  frequently,  no  doubt,  the  officers  of  the 
British  regiments,  when  not  on  duty,  used  to  fling 
themselves  into  the  arms  of  our  venerable  chair. 
Fancy  one  of  them,  a  red  nosed  captain  in  his  scarlet 
uniform,  playing  with  the  hilt  of  his  sword,  and  mak 
ing  a  circle  of  his  brother  officers  merry  with  ridicu 
lous  jokes  at  the  expense  of  the  poor  Yankees.  And 
perhaps  he  would  call  for  a  bottle  of  wine,  or  a  steam 
ing  bowl  of  punch,  and  drink  confusion  to  all  rebels." 

"  Our  grave  old  chair  must  have  been  scandalized 
at  such  scenes,"  observed  Laurence ;  "  the  chair  that 
had  been  the  Lady  Arbella's,  and  which  the  holy 
Apostle  Eliot  had  consecrated." 

"  It  certainly  was  little  less  than  sacrilege,"  replied 
Grandfather ;  "  but  the  time  was  coming  when  even 
the  churches,  where  hallowed  pastors  had  long 
preached  the  word  of  God,  were  to  be  torn  down  or 
desecrated  l?y  the  British  troops.  Some  years  passed, 
however,  before  such  things  were  done." 

Grandfather  told  las  auditors  that,  in  1769,  Sir 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  173 

Franeis  Bernard  went  to  England  after  having  been 
governor  of  Massachusetts  ten  years.  lie  was  a  gentle 
man  of  many  good  qualities,  an  exellent  scholar,  and 
a  friend  to  learning.  But  he  was  naturally  of  an  ar- 
bitrary  disposition  ;  and  he  had  been  bred  at  the  Uni 
versity  of  Oxford,  where  young  men  were  taught  that 
the  divine  right  of  kings  was  the  only  thing  to  be  re 
garded  in  matters  of  government.  Such  ideas  were 
ill  adapted  to  please  the  people  of  Massachusetts. 
They  rejoiced  to  get  rid  of  Sir  Francis  Bernard,  but 
liked  his  successor,  Lieutenant  Governor  Ilutchinson, 
no  better  than  himself. 

About  this  period  the  people  were  much  incensed  at 
an  act  committed  by  a  person  who  held  an  office  in 
the  custom  house.  Some  lads,  or  young  men  were 
snow-balling  his  windows.  He  fired  a  musket  at  them, 
and  killed  a  poor  German  boy,  only  eleven  years  old. 
This  event  made  a  great  noise  in  town  and  country, 
and  much  increased  the  resentment  that  was  already 
felt  against  the  servants  of  the  crown. 

"Now,  children,"  said  Grandfather,  "I  wish  to 
make  you  comprehend  the  position  of  the  British 
troops  in  King  street.  This  is  the  same  which  we 
now  call  State  street.  On  the  south  side  of  the  town 
house,  or  Old  State  House,  was  what  military  men 
call  a  court  of  guard,  defended  by  two  brass  cannons, 
which  pointed  directly  at  one  of  the  doors  of  the  above 
edifice.  A  large  party  of  soldiers  were  always  sta 
tioned  in  the  court  of  guard.  The  custom  house 
stood  at  a  little  distance  down  King  street,  nearly 
where  the  Suffolk  bank  now  stands,  and  a  sentinel 
was  continually  pacing  before  its  front." 

"I  shall  remember  this  to-morrow,"  said  Charley; 


174  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

"  and  I  will  go  to  State  street,  so  as  to  see  exactly 
where  the  British  troops  were  stationed." 

"  And  before  long,"  observed  Grandfather,  "  I  shall 
have  to  relate  an  event  which  made  King  street  sadly 
famous  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  The  history  of 
our  chair  will  soon  bring  us  to  this  melancholy  busi 
ness." 

Here  Grandfather  described  the  state  of  things 
which  arose  from  the  ill  will  that  existed  between  the 
inhabitants  and  the  red-coats.  The  old  and  sober  part 
of  the  townspeople  were  very  angry  at  the  government 
for  sending  soldiers  to  overawe  them.  But  those  gray- 
headed  men  were  cautious,  and  kept  their  thoughts 
and  feelings  in  their  own  breasts,  without  putting 
themselves  in  the  way  of  the  British  bayonets. 

The  younger  people,  however,  could  hardly  be  kept 
within  such  prudent  limits.  They  reddened  with  wrath 
at  the  very  sight  of  a  soldier,  and  would  have  been 
willing  to  come  to  blows  with  them  at  any  moment. 
For  it  was  their  opinion  that  every  tap  of  a  British 
drum  within  the  peninsula  of  Boston  was  an  insult  to 
the  brave  old  town. 

"It  was  sometimes  the  case,"  continued  Grand 
father,  "  that  affrays  happened  between  such  wild 
young  men  as  these  and  small  parties  of  the  soldiers. 
No  weapons  had  hitherto  been  used  except  fists  or 
cudgels.  But  when  men  have  loaded  muskets  in  their 
hands,  it  is  easy  to  foretell  that  they  will  soon  be 
turned  against  the  bosoms  of  those  who  provoke  their 
anger." 

"  Grandfather,"  said  little  Alice,  looking  fearfully 
into  his  face,  "  your  voice  sounds  as  though  you  were 
going  to  tell  us  something  awful ! " 


CHAPTER  V. 

LITTLE  ALICE,  by  her  last  remark,  proved  herself  a 
good  judge  of  what  was  expressed  by  the  tones  of 
Grandfather's  voice.  He  had  given  the  above  descrip 
tion  of  the  enmity  between  the  town's  people  and  the 
soldiers  in  order  to  prepare  the  minds  of  his  auditors 
for  a  very  terrible  event.  It  was  one  that  did  more 
to  heighten  the  quarrel  between  England  and  Amer 
ica  than  anything  that  had  yet  occurred. 

Without  further  preface,  Grandfather  began  the 
story  of 

THE  BOSTON  MASSACEE. 

It  was  now  the  3d  of  March,  1770.  The  sunset 
music  of  the  British  regiments  was  heard  as  usual 
throughout  the  town.  The  shrill  fife  and  rattling  drum 
awoke  the  echoes  in  King  street,  while  the  last  ray  of 
sunshine  was  lingering  on  the  cupola  of  the  town 
house.  And  now  all  the  sentinels  were  posted.  One 
of  them  marched  up  and  down  before  the  .Custom 
House,  treading  a  short  path  through  the  snow,  and 
longing  for  the  time  when  he  would  be  dismissed  to 
the  warm  fire-side  of  the  guard  room.  Meanwhile 
Captain  Preston  was,  perhaps,  sitting  in  our  great 
chair  before  the  hearth  of  the  British  Coffee  House. 
In  the  course  of  the  evening  there  were  two  or  three 
slight  commotions,  which  seemed  to  indicate  that 
trouble  was  at  hand.  Small  parties  of  young  men 


176  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

stood  at  the  corners  of  the  streets  or  walked  along  the 
narrow  pavements.  Squads  of  soldiers  who  were  dis 
missed  from  duty  passed  by  them,  shoulder  to  shoul 
der,  with  the  regular  step  which  they  had  learned  at 
the  drill.  Whenever  these  encounters  took  place,  it 
appeared  to  be  the  object  of  the  young  men  to  treat 
the  soldiers  with  as  much  incivility  as  possible. 

"  Turn  out,  you  lobster-backs ! "  one  would  say. 

"  Crowd  them  off  the  sidewalks !  "  another  would  cry. 
"  A  red-coat  has  no  right  in  Boston  streets  ! " 

"  O,  you  rebel  rascals ! "  perhaps  the  soldiers  would 
reply,  glaring  fiercely  at  the  young  men.  "  Some  day 
or  other  we'll  make  our  way  through  Boston  streets 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet ! " 

Once  or  twice  such  disputes  as  these  brought  on  a 
scuffle ;  which  passed  off,  however,  without  attracting 
much  notice.  About  eight  o'clock,  for  some  unknown 
cause,  an  alarm-bell  rang  loudly  and  hurriedly. 

At  the  sound  many  people  ran  out  of  their  houses, 
supposing  it  to  be  an  alarm  of  fire.  But  there  were 
no  flames  to  be  seen,  nor  was  there  any  smell  of  smoke 
in  the  clear,  frosty  air ;  so  that  most  of  the  townsmen 
went  back  to  their  own  fire-sides  and  sat  talking  with 
their  wives  and  children  about  the  calamities  of  the 
times.  Others  who  were  younger  and  less  prudent  re 
mained  in  the  streets ;  for  there  seems  to  have  been  a 
presentiment  that  some  strange  event  was  on  the  eve 
of  taking  place. 

Later  in  the  evening,  not  far  from  nine  o'clock,  sev 
eral  young  men  passed  by  the  Town  House  and  walked 
down  King  street.  The  sentinel  was  still  on  his  post 
in  front  of  the  custom  house,  pacing  to  and  fro,* 
while,  as  he  turned,  a  gleam  of  light  from  some  neigh- 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  177 

boring  window  glittered  on  the  barrel  of  his  musket. 
At  no  great  distance  were  the  barracks  and  the  guard 
house,  where  his  comrades  were  probably  telling  stories 
of  battle  and  bloodshed. 

Down  towards  the  custom  house,  as  I  told  you, 
came  a  party  of  wild  young  men.  When  they  drew 
near  the  sentinel  he  halted  on  his  post,  and  took  his 
musket  from  his  shoulder,  ready  to  present  the  bayo 
net  at  their  breasts. 

"  Who  goes  there  ?  "  he  cried,  in  the  gruff,  peremp 
tory  tones  of  a  soldier's  challenge. 

The  young  men,  being  Boston  boys,  felt  as  if  they 
had  a  right  to  walk  their  own  streets  without  being 
accountable  to  a  British  red-coat,  even  though  he 
challenged  them  in  King  George's  name.  They 
made  some  rude  answer  to  the  sentinel.  '  There  was 
a  dispute,  or  perhaps  a  scuffle.  Other  soldiers  heard 
the  noise,  and  ran  hastily  from  the  barracks  to  assist 
their  comrades.  At  the  same  time  many  of  the 
town's  people  rushed  into  King  street  by  various  ave 
nues,  and  gathered  in  a  crowd  round  about  the  custom 
house.  It  seemed  wonderful  how  such  a  multitude 
had  started  up  all  of  a  sudden. 

The  wrongs  and  insults  which  the  people  had  been 
suffering  for  many  months  now  kindled  them  into  a 
rage.  They  threw  snow-balls  and  lumps  of  ice  at  the 
soldiers.  As  the  tumult  grew  louder  it  reached  the 
ears  of  Captain  Preston,  the  officer  of  the  day.  He 
immediately  ordered  eight  soldiers  of  the  main  guard 
to  take  their  muskets  and  follow  him.  They  marched 
across  the  street,  forcing  their  way  roughly  through 
the  crowd,  and  pricking  the  town's  people  with  their 
bayonets. 

13 


ITS  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

A  gentleman  (it  was  Henry  Knox,  afterwards  gen< 
eral  of  the  American  artillery)  caught  Captain  Pres 
ton's  arm. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  sir,"  exclaimed  he,  "  take  heed 
what  you  do,  or  there  will  be  bloodshed." 

"  Stand  aside  !  "  answered  Captain  Preston,  haugh 
tily.  "  Do  not  interfere,  sir.  Leave  me  to  manage 
the  affair." 

Arriving  at  the  sentinel's  post,  Captain  Preston 
drew  up  his  men  in  a  semicircle,  with  their  faces  to 
the  crowd  and  their  rear  to  the  custom  house.  When 
the  people  saw  the  officer  and  beheld  the  threatening 
attitude  with  which  the  soldiers  fronted  them,  their 
rage  became*  almost  uncontrollable. 

"  Fire,  you  lobster-backs  !  "  bellowed  some. 

"  You  dare  not  fire,  you  cowardly  red-coats  !  "  cried 
others. 

"  Rush  upon  them  !  "  shouted  many  voices.  "  Drive 
the  rascals  to  their  barracks!  Down  with  them! 
Down  with  them  !  Let  them  fire  if  they  dare  !  " 

Amid  the  uproar,  the  soldiers  stood  glaring  at  the 
people  with  the  fierceness  of  men  whose  trade  was  to 
shed  blood. 

Oh,  what  a  crisis  had  now  arrived  !  Up  to  this 
very  moment,  the  angry  feelings  between  England  and 
America  might  have  been  pacified.  England  had  but 
to  stretch  out  the  hand  of  reconciliation,  and  ac 
knowledge  that  she  had  hitherto  mistaken  her  rights, 
but  would  do  so  no  more.  Then  the  ancient  bonds 
of  brotherhood  would  again  have  been  knit  together 
as  firmly  as  in  old  times.  The  habit  of  loyalty,  which 
had  grown  as  strong  as  instinct,  was  not  utterly  over 
come.  The  perils  shared,  the  victories  won,  in  tho 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  179 

Old  French  War,  when  the  soldiers  of  the  colonies 
fought  side  by  side  with  their  comrades  from  beyond 
the  sea,  were  unf  orgotten  yet.  England  was  still  that 
beloved  country  which  the  colonists  called  their 
home.  King  George,  though  he  had  frowned  upon 
America,  was  still  reverenced  as  a  father. 

But  should  the  king's  soldiers  shed  one  drop  of 
American  blood,  then  it  was  a  quarrel  to  the  death. 
Never — never  would  America  rest  satisfied  until  she 
had  torn  down  the  royal  authority  and  trampled  it  in 
the  dust. 

"  Fire,  if  you  dare,  villains !  "  hoarsely  shouted  the 
people,  while  the  muzzles  of  the  muskets  were  turned 
upon  them,  "  you  dare  not  fire  !  " 

They  appeared  ready  to  rush  upon  the  levelled 
bayonets.  Captain  Preston  waved  his  sword,  and  ut 
tered  a  command  which  could  not  be  distinctly  heard 
amid  the  uproar  of  shouts  that  issued  from  a  hundred 
throats.  But  his  soldiers  deemed  that  he  had  spoken 
the  fatal  mandate — "  fire  !  "  The  flash  of  their  mus 
kets  lighted  up  the  streets,  and  the  report  rang  loudly 
between  the  edifices.  It  was  said,  too,  that  the  figure 
of  a  man,  with  a  cloth  hanging  down  over  his  face, 
was  seen  to  step  into  the  balcony  of  the  custom  house 
and  discharge  a  musket  at  the  crowd.  „ 

A  gush  of  smoke  had  overspread  the  scene.  It 
rose  heavily,  as  if  it  were  loath  to  reveal  the  dreadful 
spectacle  beneath  it.  Eleven  of  the  sons  of  'New 
England  lay  stretched  upon  the  street.  Some,  sorely 
wounded,  were  struggling  to  rise  again.  Others 
stirred  not  nor  groaned  ;  for  they  were  past  all  pain. 
Blood  was  streaming  upon  the  snow  ;  and  that  purple 
stain  in  the  midst  of  King  street,  though  it  melted 


180  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

away  in  the  next  day's  sun,  was  never  forgotten  noi 
forgiven  by  the  people. 


Grandfather  was  interrupted  by  the  violent  sobs  of 
little  Alice.  In  his  earnestness  he  had  neglected  tc 
soften  down  the  narrative  so  that  it  might  not  terrify 
the  heart  of  this  unworldly  infant.  Since  Grand 
father  began  the  history  of  our  chair,  little  Alice  had 
listened  to  many  tales  of  war.  But  probably  the  idea 
had  never  really  impressed  itself  upon  her  mind  that 
men  have  shed  the  blood  of  their  fellow-creatures. 
And  now  that  this  idea  was  forcibly  presented  to  her, 
it  affected  the  sweet  child  with  bewilderment  and 
horror. 

"I  ought  to  have  remembered  our  dear  little 
Alice,"  said  Grandfather  reproachfully  to  himself. 
"  Oh,  what  a  pity !  Her  heavenly  nature  has  now 
received  its  first  impression  of  earthly  sin  and  vio 
lence.  Well,  Clara,  take  her  to  her  bed  and  comfort 
her.  Heaven  grant  that  she  may  dream  away  the 
recollection  of  the  Boston  Massacre  !  " 

"  Grandfather,"  said  Charley,  when  Clara  and  little 
Alice  had  retired,  "  did  not  the  people  rush  upon  the 
soldiers  and  take  revenge  ?  " 

"  The  town  drums  beat  to  arms,"  replied  Grand 
father,  "  the  alarm  bells  rang,  and  an  immense  multi 
tude  rushed  into  King  street.  Many  of  them  had 
weapons  in  their  hands.  The  British  prepared  to  de 
fend  themselves.  A  whole  regiment  was  drawn  up 
in  the  street,  expecting  an  attack  ;  for  the  townsmen 
appeared  ready  to  throw  themselves  upon  the  bayo 
nets." 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  181 

"And  how  did  it  end  ? "  asked  Charley. 

"  Governor  Hutchinson  hurried  to  the  spot,"  said 
Grandfather,  "  and  besought  the  people  to  have  pa 
tience,  promising  that  strict  justice  should  be  done. 
A  day  or  two  afterward  the  British  troops  were  with 
drawn  from  town  and  stationed  at  Castle  William. 
Captain  Preston  and  the  eight  soldiers  were  tried  for 
murder.  But  none  of  them  were  found  guilty.  The 
judges  told  the  jury  that  the  insults  and  violence 
which  had  been  offered  to  the  soldiers  justified  them 
in  firing  at  the  mob." 

"  The  Revolution,"  observed  Laurence,  who  had 
said  but  little  during  the  evening,  "  was  not  such  a 
calm,  majestic  movement  as  I  supposed.  I  do  not 
love  to  hear  of  mobs  and  broils  in  the  street.  These 
things  were  unworthy  of  the  people  when  they  had 
such  a  great  object  to  accomplish." 

"  Nevertheless,  the  world  has  seen  no  grander  move 
ment  than  that  of  our  Revolution  from  first  to  last," 
said  Grandfather.  "  The  people,  to  a  man,  were  full 
of  a  great  and  noble  sentiment.  True,  there  may  be 
much  fault  to  find  with  their  mode  of  expressing  this 
sentiment ;  but  they  knew  no  better — the  necessity 
was  upon  them  to  act  out  their  feelings  in  the  best 
manner  they  could.  We  must  forgive  what  was 
wrong  in  their  actions,  and  look  into  their  hearts  and 
minds  for  the  honorable  motives  that  impelled  them." 

"  And  I  suppose,"  said  Laurence,  "  there  were  men 
who  knew  how  to  act  worthily  of  what  they  felt." 

"There  were  many  such,"  replied  Grandfather, 
"  and  we  will  speak  of  some  of  them  hereafter." 

Grandfather  here  made  a  pause.  That  night,  Char 
ley  had  a  dream  about  the  Boston  massacre,  and 


182  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

thought  that  he  himself  was  in  the  crowd  and  struck 
down  Captain  Preston  with  a  great  club.  Laurence 
dreamed  that  he  was  sitting  in  our  great  chair,  at  the 
window  of  the  British  Coffee  House,  and  beheld  the 
whole  scene  which  Grandfather  had  described.  It 
seemed  to  him,  in  his  dream,  that,  if  the  town's  peo 
pie  and  the  soldiers  would  but  have  heard  him  speak 
a  single  word,  all  the  slaughter  might  have  been 
averted.  But  there  was  such  an  uproar  that  it 
drowned  his  voice. 

The  next  morning  the  two  boys  went  together  to 
State  street  and  stood  on  the  very  spot  where  the  first 
blood  of  the  Revolution  had  been  shed.  The  Old 
State  House  was  still  there,  presenting  almost  the 
same  aspect  that  it  had  worn  on  that  memorable  even 
ing,  one  and  seventy  years  ago.  It  is  the  sole  remain 
ing  witness  of  the  Boston  Massacre. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  next  evening  the  astral  lamp  was  Kghted  earlier 
than  usual,  because  Laurence  was  very  much  engaged 
in  looking  over  the  collection  of  portraits  which  had 
been  his  New  Year's  gift  from  Grandfather. 

Among  them  he  found  the  features  of  more  than 
one  famous  personage  who  had  been  connected  with 
the  adventures  of  our  old  chair.  Grandfather  bade 
him  draw  the  table  nearer  to  the  fire-side ;  and  they 
looked  over  the  portraits  together,  while  Clara  and 
Charley  likewise  lent  their  attention.  As  for  little 
Alice,  she  sat  in  Grandfather's  lap,  and  seemed  to  see 
the  very  men  alive  whose  faces  were  there  represented. 

Turning  over  the  volume,  Laurence  came  to  the 
portrait  of  a  stern,  grim-looking  man,  in  plain  attire, 
of  much  more  modern  fashion  than  that  of  the  old 
Puritans.  But  the  face  might  well  have  befitted  one 
of  those  iron-hearted  men.  Beneath  the  portrait  was 
the  name  of  Samuel  Adams. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  great  note  in  all  the  doings  that 
brought  about  the  Revolution,"  said"  Grandfather. 
"  His  character  was  such,  that  it  seemed  as  if  one  of 
the  ancient  Puritans  had  been  sent  back  to  earth  to 
animate  the  people's  hearts  with  the  same  abhorrence 
of  tyranny  that  had  distinguished  the  earliest  settlers. 
He  was  as  religious  as  they,  as  stern  and  inflexible, 
and  as  deeply  imbued  with  democratic  principles. 
He,  better  than  any  one  else,  may  be  taken  as  a  rep- 


184  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

resentative  of  the  people  of  New  England,  and  of  the 
spirit  with  which  they  engaged  in  the  Revolutionary 
struggle.  He  was  a  poor  man,  and  earned  his  bread 
by  an  humble  occupation ;  but  with  his  tongue  and 
pen  he  made  the  king  of  England  tremble  on  his 
throne.  Remember  him,  my  children,  as  one  of  the 
strong  men  of  our  country." 

"  Here  is  one  whose  looks  show  a  very  different 
character,"  observed  Laurence,  turning  to  the  portrait 
of  John  Hancock.  "  I  should  think,  by  his  splendid 
dress  and  courtly  aspect,  that  he  was  one  of  the  king's 
friends." 

"  There  never  was  a  greater  contrast  than  between 
Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock,"  said  Grandfather. 
"  Yet  they  were  of  the  same  side  in  politics,  and  had 
an  equal  agency  in  the  Revolution.  Hancock  was 
born  to  the  inheritance  of  the  largest  fortune  in  'New 
England.  His  tastes  and  habits  were  aristocratic. 
He  loved  gorgeous  attire,  a  splendid  mansion,  mag 
nificent  furniture,  stately  festivals,  and  all  that  was 
glittering  and  pompous  in  external  things.  His  man 
ners  were  so  polished  that  there  stood  not  a  nobleman 
at  the  footstool  of  King  George's  throne  who  was  a 
more  skilful  courtier  than  John  Hancock  might  have 
been.  Nevertheless,  he  in  his  embroidered  clothes, 
and  Samuel  Adams  in  his  thread-bare  coat,  wrought 
together  in  the  cause  of  liberty.  Adams  acted  from 
pure  and  rigid  principle.  Hancock,  though  he  loved 
his  country,  yet  thought  quite  as  much  of  his  own 
popularity  as  he  did  of  the  people's  rights.  It  is  re 
markable  that  these  two  men,  so  very  different  as  I 
describe  them,  were  the  only  two  exempted  from 
pardon  by  the  king's  proclamation." 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  185 

On  the  next  leaf  of  the  book  was  the  portrait  of 
General  Joseph  Warren.  Charley  recognized  the 
name,  and  said  that  here  was  a  greater  man  than 
either  Hancock  or  Adams. 

"  Warren  was  an  eloquent  and  able  patriot,"  replied 
Grandfather.  "He  deserves  a  lasting  memory  for 
his  zealous  efforts  in  behalf  of  liberty.  No  man's 
voice  was  more  powerful  in  Faneuil  Hall  than  Joseph 
Warren's.  If  his  death  had  not  happened  so  early  in 
the  contest,  he  would  probably  have  gained  a  high 
name  as  a  soldier." 

The  next  portrait  was  a  venerable  man,  who  held 
his  thumb  under  his  chin,  and,  through  his  spec 
tacles,  appeared  to  be  attentively  reading  a  manu 
script. 

"  Here  we  see  the  most  illustrious  Boston  boy  that 
ever  lived,"  said  Grandfather.  "This  is  Benjamin 
Franklin !  But  I  will  not  try  to  compress  into  a  few 
sentences  the  character  of  the  sage,  who,  as  a  French 
man  expressed  it,  snatched  the  lightning  from  the  sky, 
and  the  sceptre  from  a  tyrant.  Mr.  Sparks  must  help 
you  to  the  knowledge  of  Franklin." 

The  book  likewise  contained  portraits  of  James 
Otis  and  Josiah  Quincy.  Both  of  them,  Grandfather 
observed,  were  men  of  wonderful  talents  and  true 
patriotism.  Their  voices  were  like  the  stirring  tones 
of  a  trumpet  arousing  the  country  to  defend  its  free 
dom.  Heaven  seemed  to  have  provided  a  greater 
number  of  eloquent  men  than  had  appeared  at  any 
other  period,  in  order  that  the  people  might  be  fully 
instructed  as  to  their  wrongs  and  the  method  of  re 
sistance. 

"It  is  marvellous,"  said  Grandfather,  " to  see  how 


186  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

many  powerful  writers,  orators,  and  soldiers  started 
up  just  at  the  time  when  they  were  wanted.  There 
was  a  man  for  every  kind  of  work.  It  is  equally 
wonderful  that  men  of  such  different  characters  were 
all  made  to  unite  in  the  one  object  of  establishing  the 
freedom  and  independence  of  America.  There  was 
an  overruling  Providence  above  them." 

"  Here  was  another  great  man, "remarked  Laurence, 
pointing  to  the  portrait  of  John  Adams. 

"  Yes ;  an  earnest,  warm-tempered,  honest,  and 
most  able  man,"  said  Grandfather.  "  At  the  period 
of  which  we  are  now  speaking  he  was  a  lawyer  in 
Boston.  lie  was  destined  in  after  years  to  be  ruler 
over  the  whole  American  people,  whom  he  contributed 
so  much  to  form  into  a  nation." 

Gandfather  here  remarked  that  many  a  New-Eng- 
lander,  who  had  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth  in 
obscurity,  afterward  attained  to  a  fortune  which 
he  never  could  have  foreseen  even  in  his  most  am 
bitious  "dreams.  John  Adams,  the  second  President 
of  the  United  States  and  the  equal  of  crowned  kings, 
was  once  a  schoolmaster  and  country  lawyer.  Han 
cock,  the  first  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence,  served  his  apprenticeship  with  a  merchant. 
Samuel  Adams,  afterwards  governor  of  Massachu 
setts,  was  a  small  tradesman  and  a  tax-gatherer. 
General  Warren  was  a  physician,  General  Lincoln  a 
farmer,  and  General  Knox  a  Bookbinder.  General 
Nathaniel  Greene,  the  best  soldier,  except  Washing 
ton,  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  was  a  Quaker  and  a 
blacksmith.  All  these  became  illustrious  men,  and 
can  never  be  forgotten  in  American  history. 

"  And  any  boy  who  is  born  in  America  may  look 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  187 

forward  to  the  same  things,"  said  our  ambitious  friend 
Charley. 

After  these  observations,  Grandfather  drew  the 
book  of  portraits  towards  him  and  showed  the  chil 
dren  several  British  peers  and  members  of  Parlia 
ment  who  had  exerted  themselves  either  for  or 
against  the  rights  of  America.  There  were  the  Earl 
of  Bute,  Mr.  Grenville,  and  Lord  North.  These 
were  looked  upon  as  deadly  enemies  to  our  country. 

Among  the  friends  of  America  was  Mr.  Pitt,  after 
ward  Earl  of  Chatham,  who  spent  so  much  of  his 
wondrous  eloquence  in  endeavoring  to  warn  England 
of  the  consequences  of  her  injustice.  He  fell  down 
on  the  floor  of  the  House  of  Lords  after  uttering  al 
most  his  dying  words  in  defence  of  our  privileges 
as  freemen.  There  was  Edmund  Burke,  one  of  the 
wisest  men  and  greatest  orators  that  ever  the  world 
produced.  There  was  Colonel  Barre,  who  had  been 
among  our  fathers,  and  knew  that  they  had  courage 
enough  to  die  for  their  rights.  There  was  Charles 
James  Fox,  who  never  rested  until  he  had  silenced 
our  enemies  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

"  It  is  very  remarkable  to  observe  how  many  of 
the  ablest  orators  in  the  British  Parliament  were 
favorable  to  America,"  said  Grandfather.  "  We 
ought  to  remember  these  great  Englishmen  with 
gratitude  ;  for  their  speeches  encouraged  our  fathers 
almost  as  much  as  those  of  our  own  orators  in  Eaneuil 
Hall  and  under  Liberty  Tree.  Opinions  which  might 
have  been  received  with  doubt,  if  expressed  only  by 
a  native  American,  were  set  down  as  true,  beyond 
dispute,  when  they  came  from  the  lips  of  Chatham, 
Burke,  Barre  or  Fox." 


188  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

"  But,  Grandfather,"  asked  Laurence,  "  were  there 
no  able  and  eloquent  men  in  this  country  who  took 
the  part  of  King  George  ?  " 

"  There  were  many  men  of  talent  who  said  what 
they  could  in  defence  of  the  king's  tyrannical  pro 
ceedings,"  replied  Grandfather.  "  But  they  had  the 
worst  side  of  the  argument,  and  therefore  seldom  said 
anything  worth  remembering.  Moreover,  their  hearts 
were  faint  and  feeble ;  for  they  felt  that  the  people 
scorned  and  detested  them.  They  had  no  friends,  no 
defence,  except  in  the  bayonets  of  the  British  troops. 
A  blight  fell  upon  all  their  faculties,  because  they  were 
contending  against  the  rights  of  their  own  native  land." 

"  What  were  the  names  of  some  of  them  ? "  in 
quired  Charley. 

"  Governor  Hutchinson,  Chief  Justice  Oliver, 
Judge  Auchmuty,  the  Rev.  Mather  Byles,  and  sev 
eral  other  clergymen,  were  among  the  most  noted 
loyalists,"  answered  Grandfather. 

"  I  wish  the  people  had  tarred  and  feathered  every 
man  of  them  !  "  cried  Charley. 

"  That  wish  is  very  wrong,  Charley,"  said  Grand 
father.  "  You  must  not  think  that  there  was  no  in 
tegrity  and  honor  except  among  those  who  stood  up 
for  the  freedom  of  America.  For  aught  I  know, 
there  was  quite  as  much  of  these  qualities  on  one  side 
as  on  the  other.  Do  you  see  nothing  admirable  in  a 
faithful  adherence  to  an  unpopular  cause  ?  Can  you 
not  respect  that  principle  of  loyalty  which  made  the 
royalists  give  up  country,  friends,  fortune,  everything, 
rather  than  be  false  to  their  king  ?  It  was  a  mistaken 
principle  ;  but  many  of  them  cherished  it  honorably, 
and  were  martyrs  to  it." 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  189 

"Oh,  I  was  wrong!"  said  Charley,  ingenuously. 
"  And  I  would  risk  my  life  rather  than  one  of  those 
good  old  royalists  should  be  tarred  and  feathered." 

"  The  time  is  now  come  when  we  may  judge  fairly 
of  them,"  continued  Grandfather.  "  Be  the  good 
and  true  men  among  them  honored  ;  for  they  were  as 
much  our  countrymen  as  the  patriots  were.  And, 
thank  Heaven  !  our  country  need  not  be  ashamed  of 
her  sons, — of  most  of  them  at  least, — whatever  side 
they  took  in  the  revolutionary  contest." 

Among  the  portraits  was  one  of  King  George  the 
Third.  Little  Alice  clapped  her  hands,  and  seemed 
pleased  with  the  bluff  good  nature  of  his  physiog 
nomy.  But  Laurence  thought  it  strange  that  a  man 
with  such  a  face,  indicating  hardly  a  common  share 
of  intellect,  should  have  had  influence  enough  on 
human  affairs  to  convulse  the  world  with  war. 
Grandfather  observed  that  this  poor  king  had  always 
appeared  to  him  one  of  the  most  unfortunate  persons 
that  ever  lived.  He  was  so  honest  and  conscientious, 
that,  if  he  had  been  only  a  private  man,  his  life 
would  probably  have  been  blameless  and  happy. 
But  his  was  that  worst  of  fortunes,  to  be  placed  in  a 
station  far  beyond  his  abilities. 

"  And  so,"  said  Grandfather,  "  his  life,  while  he 
retained  what  intellect  Heaven  had"  gifted  him  with, 
was  one  long  mortification.  At  last  he  grew  crazed 
with  care  and  trouble.  For  nearly  twenty  years,  the 
monarch  of  England  was  confined  as  a  madman.  In 
his  old  age,  too,  God  took  away  his  eye-sight ;  so  that 
his  royal  palace  was  nothing  to  him  but  a  dark,  lone 
some  prison-house." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"  OTJR  old  chair,"  resumed  Grandfather,  "  did  riot 
now  stand  in  tlie  midst  of  a  gay  circle  of  British 
officers.  The  troops,  as  I  told  yon,  had  been  removed 
to  Castle  William  immediately  after  the  Boston  mas 
sacre.  Still,  however,  there  were  many  tories,  cus 
tom-house  officers,  and  Englishmen  who  used  to 
assemble  in  the  British  Coffee  House  and  talk  over 
the  affairs  of  the  period.  Matters  grew  worse  and 
worse  ;  and  in  1773  the  people  did  a  deed  which  in 
censed  the  king  and  ministry  more  than  any  of  their 
former  doings." 

Grandfather  here  described  the  affair,  which  is 
known  by  the  name  of  the  Boston  Tea  Party.  The 
Americans,  for  some  time  past,  had  left  off  import 
ing  tea,  on  account  of  the  oppressive  tax.  The  East 
India  Company,  in  London,  had  a  large  stock  of  tea 
on  hand,  which  they  had  expected  to  sell  to  the 
Americans,  but  could  find  no  market  for  it.  But, 
after  a  while,  the  government  persuaded  this  com 
pany  of  merchants  to  send  the  tea  to  America. 

"  How  odd  it  is,"  obser  /ed  Clara,  "  that  the  lib 
erties  of  America  should  have  had  anything  to  do 
with  a  cup  of  tea  ! " 

Grandfather  smiled,  and  proceeded  with  his  nar 
rative.  When  the  people  of  Boston  heard  that  sev 
eral  cargoes  of  tea  were  coming  across  the  Atlantic, 
they  held  a  great  many  meetings  at  Faneuil  Hall,  in 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR  191 

the  Old  South  church,  and  under  Liberty  Tree.  In 
the  midst  of  their  debates,  three  ships  arrived  in  the 
harbor  with  the  tea  on  board.  The  people  spent 
more  than  a  fortnight  in  consulting  what  should  be 
done.  At  last,  on  the  16th  of  December,  1773,  they 
demanded  of  Governor  Hutchinson  that  he  should 
immediately  send  the  ships  back  to  England. 

The  governor  replied  that  the  ships  must  not  leave 
the  harbor  until  the  custom  house  duties  upon  the  tea 
should  be  paid.  Now,  the  payment  of  these  duties 
was  the  very  thing  against  which  the  people  had  set 
their  faces ;  because  it  was  a  tax  unjustly  imposed 
upon  America  by  the  English  government.  There 
fore,  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  as  soon  as  Governor 
Hutchinson's  reply  was  received,  an  immense  crowd 
hastened  to  Griffin's  wharf,  where  the  tea  ships  lay. 
The  place  is  now  called  Liverpool  wharf. 

"  When  the  crowd  reached  the  wharf,"  said  Grand 
father,  "  they  saw  that  a  set  of  wild-looking  figures 
were  already  on  board  of  the  ships.  You  would  have 
imagined  that  the  Indian  warriors  of  old  times  had 
come  back  again  ;  for  they  wore  the  Indian  dress,  and 
iiad  their  faces  covered  with  red  and  black  paint,  like 
the  Indians  when  they  go  to  war.  These  grim  fig- 
ures  hoisted  the  tea  chests  on  the  decks  of  the  vessels, 
broke  them  open,  and  threw  all  the  contents  into  the 
harbor." 

"Grandfather,"  said  little  Alice,  "  I  suppose  Indians 
don't  love  tea  ;  else  they  would  never  waste  it  so." 

"  They  were  not  real  Indians,  my  child,"  answered 
Grandfather.  " They  were  white  men  in  disguise; 
because  a  heavy  punishment  would  have  been  in 
flicted  on  them  if  the  king's  officers  had  found  who 


192  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

they  were.  But  it  was  never  known.  From  that 
day  to  this,  though  the  matter  has  been  talked  of  by 
all  the  world,  nobody  can  tell  the  names  of  those  In 
dian  figures.  Some  people  say  that  there  were  very 
famous  men  among  them,  who  afterward  became, 
governors  and  generals.  Whether  this  be  true  I  can 
not  tell." 

When  tidings  of  this  bold  deed  were  carried  to 
England,  King  George  was  greatly  enraged.  Parlia 
ment  immediately  passed  an  act,  by  which  all  vessels 
were  forbidden  to  take  in  or  discharge  their  cargoes 
at  the  port  of  Boston.  In  this  way  they  expected  to 
ruin  all  the  merchants,  and  starve  the  poor  people,  by 
depriving  them  of  employment.  At  the  same  time 
another  act  was  passed,  taking  away  many  rights  and 
privileges  which  had  been  granted  in  the  charter  of 
Massachusetts. 

Governor  Hutchinson,  soon  afterward,  was  sum 
moned  to  England,  in  order  that  he  might  give  his 
advice  about  the  management  of  American  affairs. 
General  Gage,  an  officer  of  the  Old  French  War, 
and  since  commander- in-chief  of  the  British  forces  in 
America,  was  appointed  governor  in  his  stead.  One 
of  his  first  acts  was  to  make  Salem,  instead  of  Boston, 
the  metropolis  of  Massachusetts,  by  summoning  the 
General  Court  to  meet  there. 

According  to  Grandfather's  description,  this  was 
the  most  gloomy  time  that  Massachusetts  had  ever 
seen.  The  people  groaned  under  as  heavy  a  tyranny 
as  in  the  days  of  Sir  Edmund  Andros.  Boston  looked 
as  if  it  were  afflicted  with  some  dreadful  pestilence, 
—  so  sad  were  the  inhabitants,  and  so  desolate  the 
streets.  There  was  no  cheerful  hum  of  business. 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  193 

The  merchants  shut  up  their  warehouses,  and  the  la 
boring  men  stood  idle  about  the  wharves.  But  all 
America  felt  interested  in  the  good  town  of  Boston  ; 
and*  contributions  were  raised,  in  many  places,  for  the 
.relief  of  the  poor  inhabitants. 

"  Our  dear  old  chair  !  "  exclaimed  Clara.  "  How 
dismal  it  must  have  been  now  ! " 

"  Oh,"  replied  Grandfather,  "  a  gay  throng  of  offi 
cers  had  now  come  back  to  the  British  Coffee  House  ; 
so  that  the  old  chair  had  no  lack  of  mirthful  com 
pany.  -Soon  after  General  Gage  became  governor  a 
great  many  troops  had  arrived,  and  were  encamped 
upon  the  Common.  Boston  was  now  a  garrisoned 
and  fortified  town  ;  for  the  general  had  built  a  bat 
tery  across  the  neck,  on  the  road  to  Roxbury,  and 
placed  guards  for  its  defence.  Everything  looked  as 
if  a  civil  war  were  close  at  hand." 

"  Did  the  people  make  ready  to  fight  ?  "  asked  Char 
ley. 

"A  continental  Congress  assembled  at  Philadel 
phia,"  said  Grandfather,  "  and  proposed  such  meas 
ures  as  they  thought  most  conducive  to  the  public 
good.  A  provincial  Congress  was  likewise  chosen  in 
Massachusetts.  They  exhorted  the  people  to  arm  and 
discipline  themselves.  A  great  number  of  minute 
men  were  enrolled.  The  Americans  called  them  min 
ute  men,  because  they  engaged  to  be  ready  to  fight  at 
a  minute's  warning.  The  English  officers  laughed, 
and  said  that  the  name  was  a  very  proper  one,  be 
cause  the  minute  men  would  run  away  the  minute 
they  saw  the  enemy.  Whether  they  would  fight  or 
run  was  soon  to  be  proved." 

Grandfather  told  the  children  that  the  first  open 
13 


194  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

resistance  offered  to  the  British  troops,  in  the  province 
of  Massachusetts,  was  at  Salem.  Colonel  Timothy 
Pickering,  with  thirty  or  forty  militia  men,  prevented 
the  English  colonel,  Leslie,  with  four  times  as  many 
regular  soldiers,  from  taking  possession  of  some  mili 
tary  stores.  No  Wood  was  shed  on  this  occasion  ;  bin 
soon  afterward  it  began  to  flow. 

General  Gage  sent  eight  hundred  soldiers  to  Con 
cord,  about  eighteen  miles  from  Boston,  to  destroy 
some  ammunition  and  provisions  which  the  colonists 
had  collected  there.  They  set  out  on  their  march  on 
the  evening  of  the  18th  of  April,  1YY5.  The  next 
morning,  the  general  sent  Lord  Percy  with  nine  hun 
dred  men  to  strengthen  the  troops  that  had  gone  be 
fore.  All  that  day  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  heard 
various  rumors.  Some  said  that  the  British  were  mak 
ing  great  slaughter  among  our  countrymen.  Others 
affirmed  that  every  man  had  turned  out  with  his  mus 
ket,  and  not  a  single  British  soldier  would  ever  get 
back  to  Boston. 

"  It  was  after  sunset,"  continued  Grandfather,"  when 
the  troops,  who  had  marched  forth  so  proudly,  were 
seen  entering  Charlestown.  They  were  covered  with 
dust,  and  so  hot  and  weary  that  their  tongues  hung 
out  of  their  mouths.  Many  of  them  were  faint  with 
wounds.  They  had  not  all  returned.  Nearly  three 
hundred  were  strewn,  dead  or  dying,  along  the  road 
from  Concord.  The  yeomanry  had  risen  upon  the 
invaders  and  driven  them  back." 

"  Was  this  the  battle  of  Lexington  ?  "  asked  Char 
ley. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Grandfather ;  "  it  was  so  called,  be 
cause  the  British,  without  provocation,  had  fired  upon 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  195 

a  party  of  minute  men,  near  Lexington  meeting-house, 
and  killed  eight  of  them.  That  fatal  volley,  which 
was  fired  by  order  of  Major  Pitcairn,  began  the  war 
of  the  Revolution." 

About  this  time,  if  Grandfather  had  been  correctly 
informed,  our  chair  disappeared  from  the  British 
Coffee  House.  The  manner  of  its  departure  cannot 
be  satisfactorily  ascertained.  Perhaps  the  keeper  of 
the  Coffee  House  turned  it  out  of  doors  on  account  of 
its  old-fashioned  aspect.  Perhaps  he  sold  it  as  a  cu 
riosity.  Perhaps  it  was  taken,  without  leave,  by  some 
person  who  regarded  it  as  public  property  because  it 
had  once  figured  under  Liberty  Tree.  Or,  perhaps, 
the  old  chair,  being  of  a  peaceable  disposition,  had 
made  use  of  its  four  oaken  legs  and  run  away  from 
the  seat  of  war. 

"  It  would  have  made  a  terrible  clattering  over  the 
pavement,"  said  Charley,  laughing. 

"  Meanwhile,"  continued  Grandfather,  "  during  the 
mysterious  non-appearance  of  our  chair,  an  army  of 
twenty  thousand  men  had  started  up  and  come  to  the 
siege  of  Boston.  General  Gage  and  his  troops  were 
cooped  up  within  the  narrow  precincts  of  the  penin 
sula.  On  the  17th  of  June,  1775,  the  famous  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought.  Here  General  Warren 
fell.  The  British  got  the  victory,  indeed,  but  with 
the  loss  of  more  than  a  thousand  officers  and  men." 

"  Oh,  Grandfather,"  cried  Charley,  "  you  must  tell 
us  about  that  famous  battle." 

"  No,  Charley,"  said  Grandfather,  "  I  am  not  like 
other  historians.  Battles  shall  not  hold  a  prominent 
place  in  the  history  of  our  quiet  and  comfortable  old 
chair.  But  to-morrow  evening,  Laurence,  Clara,  and 


196  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

yourself,  and  dear  little  Alice  too,  shall  visit  the  die* 
rama  of  Bunker  Hill.  There  you  shall  seethe  whole 
business,  the  burning  of  Charlestown  and  all,  with 
your  own  eyes,  and  hear  the  cannon  and  musketry 
with  your  own  ears." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  next  evening  but  one,  when  the  children  had 
given  Grandfather  a  full  account  of  the  diorama  of 
Bunker  Hill,  they  entreated  him  not  to  keep  them 
any  longer  in  suspense  about  the  fate  of  his  chair. 
The  reader  will  recollect  that,  at  the  last  accounts,  it 
had  trotted  away  upon  its  poor  old  legs  nobody 
knew  whither.  But,  before  gratifying  their  curiosity, 
Grandfather  found  it  necessary  to  say  something 
about  public  events. 

The  continental  Congress,  which  was  assembled  at 
Philadelphia,  was  composed  of  delegates  from  all  the 
colonies.  They  had  now  appointed  GEORGE  WASH 
INGTON,  of  Virginia,  to  be  Commander-in-chief  of  all 
the  American  armies.  He  was,  at  that  time,  a  mem 
ber  of  Congress ;  but  immediately  left  Philadelphia, 
and  began  his  journey  to  Massachusetts.  On  the  3d 
of  July,  1775,  he  arrived  at  Cambridge,  and  took 
command  of  the  troops  which  were  besieging  General 
Gage. 

"  Oh  !  Grandfather,"  exclaimed  ^Laurence,  "  it 
makes  my  heart  throb  to  think  what  is  coming  now. 
We  are  to  see  General  Washington  himself." 

The  children  crowded  around  Grandfather  and 
looked  earnestly  into  his  face.  Even  little  Alice 
opened  her  sweet  blue  eyes,  with  her  lips  apart,  and 
almost  held  her  breath  to  listen  ;  so  instinctive  is  the 
reverence  of  childhood  for  the  father  of  his  country, 


108  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

Grandfather  paused  a  moment ;  for  lie  felt  as  if  ii 
might  be  irreverent  to  introduce  the  hallowed  shade 
of  Washington  into  a  history  where  an  ancient  elbow 
chair  occupied  the  most  prominent  place.  However, 
he  determined  to  proceed  with  his  narrative,  and 
speak  of  the  hero  when  it  was  needful,  but  with  an 
unambitious  simplicity. 

So  Grandfather  told  his  auditors,  that,  on  General 
Washington's  arrival  at  Cambridge,  his  first  care  was 
to  reconnoitre  the  British  troops  with  his  spy-glass, 
and  to  examine  the  condition  of  his  own  army.  He 
found  that  the  American  troops  amounted  to  about 
fourteen  thousand  men.  They  were  extended  all 
round  the  peninsula  of  Boston,  a  space  of  twelve 
miles,  from  the  high  grounds  of  Roxbury  on  the 
right  to  Mystic  River  on  the  left.  Some  were  living 
in  tents  of  sail-cloth,  some  in  shanties  rudely  con 
structed  of  boards,  some  in  huts  of  stone  or  turf  with 
curious  windows  and  doors  of  basket-work. 

In  order  to  be  near  the  centre  and  oversee  the 
whole  of  this  wide-stretched  army,  the  commander-in 
chief  made  his  headquarters  at  Cambridge,  about  half 
a  mile  from  the  colleges.  A  mansion-house,  which 
perhaps  had  been  the  country-seat  of  some  tory  gen 
tleman,  was  provided  for  his  residence. 

"  When  General  Washington  first  entered  this  man 
sion,"  said  Grandfather,  "  he  was  ushered  up  the 
stair-case  and  shown  into  a  handsome  apartment.  He 
sat  down  in  a  large  chair,  which  was  the  most  con 
spicuous  object  in  the  room.  The  noble  figure  of 
Washington  would  have  done  honor  to  a  throne.  As 
he  sat  there,  with  his  hand  resting  on  the  hilt  of  his 
sheathed  sword:  which  was  placed  between  his  knees, 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

his  whole  aspect  well  befitted  the  chosen  man  on 
whom  his  country  leaned  for  the  defence  of  her  dear 
est  rights.  America  seemed  safe  under  his  protec 
tion.  His  face  was  grander  than  any  sculptor  had 
ever  wrought  in  marble;  none  could  behold  him  with 
out  awe  and  reverence.  Kever  before  had  the  lion's 
head  at  the  summit  of  the  chair  looked  down  upon 
such  a  face  and  form  as  Washington's." 

"  Why  !  Grandfather !  "  cried  Clara,  clasping  her 
hands  in  amazement,  "  was  it  really  so  ?  Did  Gen 
eral  Washington  sit  in  our  great  chair  ?  " 

"  I  knew  how  it  would  be,"  said  Laurence  ;  "  I  fore 
saw  it  the  moment  Grandfather  began  to  speak." 

Grandfather  smiled.  But,  turning  from  the  per 
sonal  and  domestic  life  of  the  illustrious  leader,  he 
spoke  of  the  methods  which  Washington  adopted  to 
win  back  the  metropolis  of  2sew  England  from  the 
British. 

The  army,  when  he  took  command  of  it,  was  with 
out  any  discipline  or  order.  The  privates  considered 
themselves  as  good  as  their  officers ;  and  seldom 
thought  it  necessary  to  obey  their  commands,  unless 
they  understood  the  why  and  wherefore.  Moreover, 
they  were  enlisted  for  so  short  a  period,  that,  as  soon 
as  they  began  to  be  respectable  soldiers,  it  was  time 
to  discharge  them.  Then  came  new  recruits,  who 
had  to  be  taught  their  duty  before  they  could  be  of 
any  service.  Such  was  the  army  with  which  Wash 
ington  had  to  contend  against  more  than  twenty 
veteran  British  regiments. 

Some  of  the  men  had  no  muskets,  and  almost  all 
were  without  bayonets.  Heavy  cannon,  for  battering 
the  British  fortifications,  were  much  wanted.  There 


200  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR 

was  but  a  small  quantity  of  powder  and  ball,  few  tools 
to  build  intrencliments  with,  and  a  great  deficiency 
of  provisions  and  clothes  for  the  soldiers.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  these  perplexing  difficulties,  the  eyes  of  the 
whole  people  were  fixed  on  General  Washington, 
expecting  him  to  undertake  some  great  enterprise 
against  the  hostile  army. 

The  first  thing  that  he  found  necessary  was  to  bring 
his  own  men  into  better  order  and  discipline.  It  is 
wonderful  how  soon  he  transformed  this  rough  mob 
of  country  people  into  the  semblance  of  a  regular 
army.  One  of  Washington's  most  invaluable  charac 
teristics  was  the  faculty  of  bringing  order  out  of  con* 
fusion.  All  business  with  which  he  had  any  concern 
seemed  to  regulate  itself  as  if  by  magic.  The  influ 
ence  of  his  mind  was  like  light  gleaming  through  an 
unshaped  world.  It  was  this  faculty,  more  than  any 
other,  that  made  him  so  fit  to  ride  upon  the  storm  of 
the  Revolution  when  everything  was  unfixed  and 
drifting  about  in  a  troubled  sea. 

"  Washington  had  not  been  long  at  the  head  of  the 
army,"  proceeded  Grandfather,  "  before  his  soldiers 
thought  as  highly  of  him  as  if  he  had  led  them  to  a 
hundred  victories.  They  knew  that  he  was  the  very 
man  whom  the  country  needed,  and  the  only  one  who 
could  bring  them  safely  through  the  great  contest 
against  the  might  of  England.  They  put  entire  con 
fidence  in  his  courage,  wisdom,  and  integrity." 

"  And  were  they  not  eager  to  follow  him  against 
the  British  ? "  asked  Charley. 

"  Doubtless  they  would  have  gone  whithersoever 
his  sword  pointed  the  way,"  answered  Grandfather ; 
f  and  Washington  was  anxious  to  make  a  decisive 


GRANDFATHERS   CHAIR.  201 

assault  upon  the  enemy.  But  as  the  enterprise  was 
very  hazardous,  he  called  a  council  of  all  the  generals 
in  the  army.  Accordingly  they  came  from  their  dif 
ferent  posts,  and  were  ushered  into  the  reception-room. 
The  commander-in-chief  arose  from  our  great  chair 
to  greet  them." 

"  What  were  their  names  ?  "  asked  Charley. 

"  There  was  General  Artemas  Ward,"  replied 
Grandfather,  "  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He  had  com 
manded  the  troops  before  Washington's  arrival.  An- 
nother  was  General  Charles  Lee,  who  had  been  a 
colonel  in  the  English  army,  and  was  thought  to  pos 
sess  vast  military  science.  He  came  to  the  council, 
followed  by  two  or  three  dogs  which  were  always  at 
his  heels.  There  was  General  Putnam  too,  who  was 
known  all  over  j^ew  England  by  the  name  of  Old  Put." 

'•  Was  it  he  who  killed  the  wolf  ?  "  inquired  Char- 
ley. 

"  The  same,"  said  Grandfather  ;  "  and  he  had  done 
good  service  in  the  old  French  War.  liis  occupation 
was  that  of  a  farmer ;  but  he  left  his  plough  in  the 
furrow  at  the  news  of  Lexington  battle.  Then  there 
was  General  Gates,  who  afterward  gained  great  re 
nown  at  Saratoga,  and  lost  it  again  at  Camden.  Gen 
eral  Greene,  of  Rhode  Island,  was  likewise  at  the 
council.  Washington  soon  discovered  him  to  be  one 
of  the  best  officers  in  the  army." 

When  the  generals  were  all  assembled,  Washington 
consulted  them  about  a  plan  for  storming  the  English 
batteries.  But  it  was  their  unanimous  opinion  that 
so  perilous  an  enterprise  ought  not  to  be  attempted. 
The  army,  therefore,  continued  to  besiege  Boston, 
preventing  the  enemy  from  obtaining  supplies  of  pro- 


202  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

visions,  but  without  taking  any  immediate  measures 
to  get  possession  of  the  town.  In  this  manner  the 
summer,  autumn,  and  winter  passed  away. 

"Many  a  night,  doubtless,"  said  Grandfather, 
"  after  Washington  had  been  all  day  on  horseback, 
galloping  from  one  post  of  the  army  to  another,  he 
used  to  sit  in  our  great  chair,  wrapt  in  earnest 
thought.  Had  you  seen  him,  you  might  have  sup 
posed  that  his  whole  mind  was  fixed  on  the  blue 
china  tiles  which  adorned  the  old  fashioned  fireplace. 
But,  in  reality,  he  was  meditating  how  to  capture  the 
British  army,  or  drive  it  out  of  Boston.  Once,  when 
there  was  a  hard  frost,  he  formed  a  scheme  to  cross 
the  Charles  River  on  the  ice.  But  the  other  generals 
could  not  be  persuaded  that  there  was  any  prospect 
of  success." 

"  What  were  the  British  doing  all  this  time  ? "  in 
quired  Charley. 

"  They  lay  idle  in  the  town,"  replied  Grandfather. 
"  General  Gage  had  been  recalled  to  England,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Sir  William  Howe.  The  British 
army  and  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  were  now  in  great 
distress.  Being  shut  up  in  the  town  so  long,  they  had 
consumed  almost  all  their  provisions  and  burned  up 
all  their  fuel.  The  soldiers  tore  down  the  Old  ^orth 
church,  and  used  its  rotten  boards  and  timbers  for 
firewood.  To  heighten  their  distress,  the  smallpox 
broke  out.  They  probably  lost  far  more  men  by  coldr 
hunger,  and  sickness  than  had  been  slain  at  Lexington 
and  Bunker  Hill." 

"  What  a  dismal  time  for  the  poor  women  and  chil 
dren  ! "  exclaimed  Clara. 

"  At  length,"  continued  Grandfather,  "  in  Marchr 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  203 

1776,  General  Washington,  who  had  now  a  good 
supply  of  powder,  began  a  terrible  cannonade  and 
bombardment  from  Dorchester  heights.  One  of  the 
cannon-balls  which  he  fired  into  the  town  struck  the 
tower  of  the  Brattle  Street  church,  where  it  may 
still  be  seen.  Sir  William  Howe  made  preparations 
to  cross  over  in  boats  and  drive  the  Americans  from 
their  batteries,  but  was  prevented  by  a  violent  gale 
and  storm.  General  Washington  next  erected  a  bat 
tery  on  Nook's  hill,  so  near  the  enemy  that  it  was  im 
possible  for  them  to  remain  in  Boston  any  longer." 

"  Hurra  !  Hurra  !  "  cried  Charley,  clapping  his 
hands  triumphantly.  "  I  wish  I  had  been  there  to  see 
how  sheepish  the  Englishmen  looked." 

And,  as  Grandfather  thought  that  Boston  had  never 
witnessed  a  more  interesting  period  than  this,  when 
the  royal  power  was  in  its  death  agony,  he  determined 
to  take  a  peep  into  the  town  and  imagine  the  feelings 
of  those  who  were  quitting  it  forever. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

a  ALAS  !  for  the  poor  tories  !  "  said  Grandfather. 
"  Until  the  very  last  morning  after  Washington's 
troops  had  shown  themselves  on  Nook's  hill,  these 
unfortunate  persons  could  not  believe  that  the  auda 
cious  rebels,  as  they  called  the  Americans,  would  ever 
prevail  against  King  George's  army.  But  when  they 
saw  the  British  soldiers  preparing  to  embark  on  board 
of  the  ships  of  war,  then  they  knew  that  they  had  lost 
their  country.  Could  the  patriots  have  known  how 
bitter  were  their  regrets,  they  would  have  forgiven 
them  all  their  evil  deeds,  and  sent  a  blessing  after 
them  as  they  sailed  away  from  their  native  shore." 

In  order  to  make  the  children  sensible  of  the  piti 
able  condition  of  these  men,  Grandfather  singled  out 
Peter  Oliver,  chief  justice  of  Massachusetts  under  the 
crown,  and  imagined  him  walking  through  the  streets 
of  Boston  on  the  morning  before  he  left  it  forever. 

This  effort  of  Grandfather's  fancy  may  be  called^- 

THE   TORY'S    FAREWELL. 

Old  Chief  Justice  Oliver  threw  on  his  red  cloak, 
and  placed  his  three-cornered  hat  on  the  top  of  his 
white  wig.  In  this  garb  he  intended  to  go  forth  and 
take  a  parting  look  at  objects  that  had  been  familiar 
to  him  from  his  youth.  Accordingly,  he  began  his 
walk  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  soon  came  to 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  205 

Fanenil  Hall.  This  edifko,  the  cradle  of  liberty,  had 
been  used  by  the  British  officers  as  a  play-house. 

"  Would  that  I  could  see  its  walls  crumble  to  dust !  " 
thought  the  chief  justice  ;  and,  in  the  bitterness  of  his 
heart,  he  shook  his  fist  at  the  famous  hall.  "  There 
began  the  mischief  which  now  threatens  to  rend  asun 
der  the  British  empire  !  The  seditious  harangues  of 
demagogues  in  Faneuil  Hall  have  made  rebels  of  a 
loyal  people  and  deprived  me  of  my  country. " 

He  then  passed  through  a  narrow  avenue  and  found 
himself  in  King  Street,  almost  on  the  very  spot  which, 
six  years  before,  had  been  reddened  by  the  blood  of 
the  Boston  Massacre.  The  chief  justice  stept  cau 
tiously,  and  shuddered,  as  if  he  were  afraid  that,  even 
now,  the  gore  of  his  slaughtered  countrymen  might 
stain  his  feet. 

Before  him  rose  the  town  house,  on  the  front  of 
which  were  still  displayed  the  royal  arms.  Within 
that  edifice  he  had  dispensed  justice  to  the  people  in 
the  days  when  his  name  was  never  mentioned  without 
honor.  There,  too,  was  the  balcony  whence  the  trum 
pet  had  been  sounded  and  the  proclamation  read  to 
an  assembled  multitude,  whenever  a  new  king  of  Eng 
land  ascended  the  throne. 

"I  remember — I  remember,"  said  Chief  Justice 
Oliver  to  himself,  "  when  his  present-most  sacred  maj 
esty  was  proclaimed.  Then  how  the  people  shouted  ! 
Each  man  would  have  poured  out  his  life-blood  to  keep 
a  hair  of  King  George's  head  from  harm.  But  now 
there  is  scarcely  a  tongue  in  all  New  England  that 
does  not  imprecate  curses  on  his  name.  It  is  ruin  and 
disgrace  to  love  him.  Can  it  be  possible  that  a  few 
fleeting  years  have  wrought  such  a  change !  " 


206  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR. 

It  did  not  occur  to  the  chief  justice  that  nothing  but 
the  most  grievous  tyranny  could  so  soon  have  changed 
the  people's  hearts.  Hurrying  from  the  spot,  he 
entered  Cornhill,  as  the  lower  part  of  Washington 
Street  was  then  called.  Opposite  to  the  Town  House 
was  the  waste  foundation  of  the  Old  North  church 
The  sacrilegious  hands  of  the  British  soldiers  had  torn 
it  down,  and  kindled  their  barrack  fires  with  the  frag 
ments. 

Farther  on  he  passed  beneath  the  tower  of  the  Old 
South.  The  threshold  of  this  sacred  edifice  was  worn 
by  the  iron  tramp  of  horses'  feet;  for  the  interior 
had  been  used  as  a  riding-school  and  rendezvous,  for 
a  regiment  of  dragoons.  As  the  chief  justice  lin 
gered  an  instant  at  the  door  a  trumpet  sounded 
within,  and  the  regiment  came  clattering  forth  and 
galloped  down  the  street.  They  were  proceeding  to 
the  place  of  embarkation. 

"  Let  them  go !  "  thought  the  chief  justice,  with 
somewhat  of  an  old  puritan  feeling  in  his  breast. 
"  No  good  can  come  of  men  who  desecrate  the  house 
of  God." 

He  went  on  a  few  steps  farther,  and  paused  before 
the  Province  House.  No  range  of  brick  stores  had 
then  sprung  up  to  hide  the  mansion  of  the  royal  gov 
ernors  from  public  view.  It  had  a  spacious  court 
yard,  bordered  with  trees,  and  enclosed  with  a  wrought 
iron  fence.  On  the  cupola  that  surmounted  the  edi 
fice  was  the  gilded  figure  of  an  Indian  chief,  ready  to 
let  fly  an  arrow  from  his  bow.  Over  the  wide  front 
door  was  a  balcony,  in  which  the  chief  justice  had 
often  stood  when  the  governor  and  high  officers  of 
the  province  showed  themselves  to  the  people. 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  207 

While  Chief  Justice  Oliver  gazed  sadly  at  the  Prov 
ince  House,  before  which  a  sentinel  was  pacing,  the 
double  leaves  of  the  door  were  thrown  open,  and  Sir 
William  Howe  made  his  appearance.  Behind  him 
came  a  throng  of  officers,  whose  steel  scabbards  clat 
tered  against  the  stones  as  they  hastened  down  the 
court-yard.  Sir  William  Howe  was  a  dark-complex 
ioned  man,  stern  and  haughty  in  his  deportment. 
He  stepped  as  proudly,  in  that  hour  of  defeat,  as  if 
he  were  going  to  receive  the  submission  of  the  rebel  _j 
general. 

The  chief  justice  bowed  and  accosted  him. 

"  This  is  a  grievous  hour  for  both  of  us,  Sir  Wil 
liam,"  said  he. 

6i  Forward  !  gentlemen,"  said  Sir  William  Howe  to 
the  officers  who  attended  him :  "  we  have  no  time  to 
hear  lamentations  now  !  " 

And,  coldly  bowing,  he  departed.  Thus  the  chief 
justice  had  a  foretaste  of  the  mortifications  which  the 
exiled  New  Englanders  afterwards  suffered  from  the 
haughty  Britons.  They  were  despised  even  by  that 
country  which  they  had  served  more  faithfully  than 
their  own. 

A  still  heavier  trial  awaited  Chief  Justice  Oliver, 
as  he  passed  onward  from  the  Province  House.  He 
was  recognized  by  the  people  in  tire  street.  They 
had  long  known  him  as  the  descendant  of  an  ancient 
and  honorable  family.  They  had  seen  him  sitting  in 
his  scarlet  robes  upon  the  judgment  seat.  All  his 
life  long,  either  for  the  sake  of  his  ancestors  or  on 
account  of  his  own  dignified  station  and  unspotted 
character,  he  had  been  held  in  high  respect.  The  old 
gentry  of  the  province  were  looked  upon  almost  as 


208  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

noblemen  while  Massachusetts  was  under  royal  gov- 
eminent. 

But  now,  all  hereditary  reverence  for  birth  and  rank 
was  gone.  The  inhabitants  shouted  in  derision  when 
they  saw  the  venerable  form  of  the  old  chief  justice. 
They  laid  the  wrongs  of  the  country  and  their  own 
sufferings  during  the  siege — their  hunger,  cold,  and 
sickness — partly  to  his  charge  and  to  that  of  his 
brother  Andrew  and  his  kinsman  Ilutchinson.  It 
was  by  their  advice  that  the  king  had  acted  in  all 
the  colonial  troubles.  But  the  day  of  recompense 
was  come. 

"  See  the  old  tory  !  "  cried  the  people,  with  bitter 
laughter.  "  He  is  taking  his  last  look  at  us.  Let 
him  show  his  white  wig  among  us  an  hour  hence,  and 
we'll  give- him  a  coat  of  tar  and  feathers  !  " 

The  chief  justice,  however,  knew  that  he  need  fear 
no  violence  so  long  as  the  British  troops  were  in  pos 
session  of  the  town.  But,  alas  !  it  was  a  bitter  thought 
that  he  should  leave  no  loving  memory  behind  him. 
His  forefathers,  long  after  their  spirits  left  the  earth, 
had  been  honored  in  the  affectionate  remembrance  of 
the  people.  But  he,  who  would  henceforth  be  dead 
to  his  native  land,  would  have  no  epitaph  save  scorn 
ful  and  vindictive  words.  The  old  man  wept. 

"  They  curse  me — they  invoke  all  kinds  of  evil  on 
my  head  !  "  thought  he,  in  the  midst  of  his  tears. 
"  But,  if  they  could  read  my  heart,  they  would  know 
that  I  love  Kew  England  well.  Heaven  bless  her, 
and  bring  her  again  under  the  rule  of  our  gracious 
king !  A  blessing,  too,  on  these  poor,  misguided 
people !  " 

The  chief  justice  flung  out  his  hands  with  a  ges 


GRANDFATHERS  CUAIR.  209 

ture,  as  if  he  were  bestowing  a  parting  benediction  on 
his  countrymen.  He  had  now  reached  the  southern 
portion  of  the  town,  and  was  far  within  the  range  of 
cannon  shot  from  the  American  batteries.  Close  be 
side  him  was  the  broad  stump  of  a  tree,  which  ap- 
poared  to  have  been  recently  cut  down.  Being 
weary  and  heavy  at  heart,  he  was  about  to  sit  down 
upon  the  stump. 

Suddenly  it  flashed  upon  his  recollection  that  this 
was  the  stump  of  Liberty  Tree  !  The  British  soldiers 
had  cut  it  down,  vainly  boasting  that  they  could  as 
easily  overthrow  the  liberties  of  America.  Under  its 
shadowy  branches,  ten  years  before,  the  brother  of 
Chief  Justice  Oliver  had  been  compelled  to  acknowl 
edge  the  supremacy  of  the  people  by  taking  the  oath 
which  they  prescribed.  This  tree  was  connected  with 
all  the  events  that  had  severed  America  from  Eng 
land. 

"  Accursed  tree  !  "  cried  the  chief  justice,  gnashing 
his  teeth  :  for  anger  overcame  his  sorrow.  "  Would 
that  thou  hadst  been  left  standing  till  Hancock, 
Adams,  and  every  other  traitor,  were  hanged  upon 
thy  branches  !  Then  fitly  mightest  thou  have  been 
hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  flames." 

lie  turned  back,  hurried  to  Long  wharf  without 
looking  behind  him,  embarked  with .,  the  British 
troops  for  Halifax,  and  never  saw  his  country  more. 
Throughout  the  remainder  of  his  days  Chief  Justice 
Oliver  was  agitated  with  those  same  conflicting  emo 
tions  that  had  tortured  him  while  taking  his  farewell  { 
walk  through  the  streets  of  Boston.  Deep  love  and 
fierce  resentment  burned  in  one  flame  within  his  breast. 
Anathemas  struggled  with  benedictions.  He  felt  as 
14 


210  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

if  one  breath  of  his  native  air  would  renew  his  life, 
yet  would  have  died  rather  than  breathe  the  same  air 
with  rebels.  And  such  likewise  were  the  feelings  of 
the  other  exiles,  a  thousand  in  number,  who  departed 
with  the  British  army.  Were  they  not  the  most  un- 
fortunate  of  men  ? 


"  The  misfortunes  of  those  exiled  tories,"  observed 
Laurence,  "  must  have  made  them  think  of  the  poor 
exiles  of  Acadia." 

"  They  had  a  sad  time  of  it,  I  suppose,"  said  Char 
ley.  "  But  I  choose  to  rejoice  with  the  patriots, 
rather  than  be  sorrowful  with  the  tories.  Grand 
father,  what  did  General  Washington  do  now  ?  " 

"  As  the  rear  of  the  British  army  embarked  from 
the  wharf,"  replied  Grandfather,  "  General  Washing 
ton's  troops  marched  over  the  neck,  through  the  forti 
fication  gates,  and  entered  Boston  in  triumph.  And 
now,  for  the  first  time  since  the  pilgrims  landed,  Massa 
chusetts  was  free  from  the  dominion  of  England. 
May  she  never  again  be  subjected  to  foreign  rule,— 
never  again  feel  the  rod  of  oppression  !  " 

"  Dear  Grandfather,"  asked  little  Alice,  "  did  Gen 
eral  Washington  bring  our  chair  back  to  Boston  ? " 

"  I  know  not  how  long  the  chair  remained  at  Cam 
bridge,"  said  Grandfather.  "  Had  it  stayed  there  till 
this  time,  it  could  not  have  found  a  better  or  more 
appropriate  shelter.  The  mansion  which  General 
Washington  occupied  is  still  standing;  and  his  apart 
ments  have  since  been  tenanted  by  several  eminent 
men.  Governor  Everett*  while  a  professor  in  the  uni 
versity,  resided  there.  So  at  an  after  period  did  Mr. 
Sparks,  whose  invaluable  labors  have  connected  his 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  211 

name  with  the  immortality  of  Washington.  And  at 
this  very  time  a  venerable  friend  and  contemporary 
of  your  Grandfather,  after  long  pilgrimages  beyond 
the  sea,  has  set  up  his  staff  of  rest  at  Washington's 
head -quarters." 

"You  mean  Professor  Longfellow,  Grandfather," 
said  Laurence.  "  Oh,  how  I  should  love  to  see  the 
author  of  those  beautiful  VOICES  OF  THE  NIGHT  !  " 

"  We  will  visit  him  next  summer,"  answered  Grand 
father,  "  and  take  Clara  and  little  Alice  with  us, — and 
Charley,  too,  if  he  will  be  quiet." 


CHAPTER  X. 

WHEN  Grandfather  resumed  his  narrative  the  next 
evening,  lie  told  the  children  that  he  had  some  diffi 
culty  in  tracing  the  movements  of  the  chair  during  a 
short  period  after  General  Washington's  departure 
from  Cambridge. 

Within  a  few.  months,  however,  it  made  its  appear 
ance  at  a  shop  in  Boston,  before  the  door  of  which 
was  seen  a  striped  pole.  In  the  interior  was  displayed 
a  stuffed  alligator,  a  rattlesnake's  skin,  a  bundle  of  In 
dian  arrows,  an  old-fashioned  matchlock  gun,  a  walk 
ing-stick  of  Governor  Winthrop's,  a  wig  of  old  Cotton 
Mather's,  and  a  colored  print  of  the  Boston  massacre. 
In  short,  it  was  a  barber's  shop,  kept  by  a  Mr.  Pierce, 
who  prided  himself  on  having  shaved  General  Wash 
ington,  Old  Put,  and  many  other  famous  persons. 

"This  was  not  a  very  dignified  situation  for  our 
venerable  chair,"  continued  Grandfather ;  "  but,  you 
know,  there  is  no  better  place  for  news  than  a  barber's 
shop.  All  the  events  of  the  Revolutionary  War  were 
heard  of  there  sooner  than  anywhere  else.  People 
used  to  sit  in  the  chair,  reading  the  newspaper,  or 
talking,  and  waiting  to  be  shaved,  while  Mr.  Pierce, 
with  his  scissors  and  razor,  was  at  work  upon  the 
heads  or  chins  of  his  other  customers." 

"  I  am  sorry  the  chair  could  not  betake  itself  to 
some  more  suitable  place  of  refuge,"  said  Laurence. 
"It  was  old  now,  and  must  have  longed  for  quiet 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  213 

Besides,  after  it  had  held  Washington  in  its  arms,  it 
ought  not  to  have  been  compelled  to  receive  all  the 
world.  It  should  have  been  put  into  the  pulpit  of 
the  Old  South  church,  or  some  other  consecrated 
^lace." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  answered  Grandfather.  "  But  the 
«hair,  in  the  course  of  its  varied  existence,  had  grown 
so  accustomed  to  general  intercourse  with  society,  that 
I  doubt  whether  it  would  have  contented  itself  in  the 
pulpit  of  the  Old  South.  There  it  would  have  stood 
solitary,  or  with  no  livelier  companion  than  the  silent 
organ,  in  the  opposite  gallery,  six  days  out  of  seven. 
I  incline  to  think  that  it  had  seldom  been  situated 
more  to  its  mind  than  on  the  sanded  floor  of  the  snug 
little  barber's  shop." 

Then  Grandfather  amused  his  children  and  him 
self  with  fancying  all  the  different  sorts  of  people  who 
had  occupied  our  chair  while  they  awaited  the  leisure 
of  the  barber. 

There  was  the  old  clergyman,  such  as  Dr.  Chaun- 
cey,  wearing  a  white  wig,  which  the  barber  took  from 
his  head  and  placed  upon  a  wig-block.  Half  an  hour, 
perhaps,  was  spent  in  combing  and  powdering  this 
reverend  appendage  to  a  clerical  skull.  There,  too, 
were  officers  of  the  continental  army,  who  required 
their  hair  to  be  pomatumed  and  "plastered,  so  as  to 
give  them  a  bold  and  martial  aspect.  There,  once 
in  a  while,  was  seen  the  thin,  care-worn,  melancholy 
visage  of  an  old  tory,  with  a  wig  that,  in  times  long 
past,  had  perhaps  figured  at  a  Province  House  ball. 
And  there,  not  unfrequently,  sat  the  rough  captain 
of  a  privateer,  just  returned  from  a  successful  cruise, 
in  which  he  had  captured  half  a  dozen  richly  ladeo 


214  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

vessels  belonging  to  King  George's  subjects. 
sometimes  a  rosy  little  school-boy  climbed  into  oui 
chair,  and  sat  staring,  with  wide-open  eyes,  at  the  al 
ligator,  the  rattlesnake,  and  the  other  curiosities  of 
the  barber's  shop.  His  mother  had  sent  him,  with 
sixpence  in 'his  hand,  to  get  his  glossy  curls  cropped 
off.  The  incidents  of  the  Revolution  plentifully  sup 
plied  the  barber's  customers  with  topics  of  conver 
sation.  They  talked  sorrowfully  of  the  death  of  Gen 
eral  Montgomery  and  the  failure  of  our  troops  to  take 
Quebec;  for  the  New  Englanders  were  now  as  anx 
ious  to  get  Canada  from  the  English  as  they  had  for 
merly  been  to  conquer  it  from  the  French. 

"  But,  very  soon,"  said  Grandfather,  "  came  news 
from  Philadelphia,  the  most  important  that  America 
had  ever  heard  of.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  Con 
gress  had  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
The  thirteen  colonies  were  now  free  and  independent 
states.  Dark  as  our  prospects  were,  the  inhabitants 
welcomed  these  glorious  tidings,  and  resolved  to  per 
ish  rather  than  again  bear  the  yoke  of  England  !  " 

"And  I  would  perish,  too!"  cried  Charley. 

"  It  was  a  great  day, — a  glorious  deed  !  "  said  Lau 
rence,  coloring  high  with  enthusiasm.  "And,  Grand 
father,  I  love  to  think  that  the  sages  in  Congress 
showed  themselves  as  bold  and  true  as  the  soldiers  in 
the  field;  for  it  must  have  required  more  courage  to 
sign  the  Declaration  of  Independence  than  to  fight  the 
enemy  in  battle." 

Grandfather  acquiesced  in  Laurence's  view  of  the 
matter.  He  then  touched  briefly  and  hastily  upon 
the  prominent  events  of  the  Revolution.  The  thun 
der-storm  of  war  had  now  rolled  southward,  and  did 


GRANDFATHER'S  VII AIR.  215 

not  again  burst  upon  Massachusetts,  where  its  first 
fury  had  been  felt.  But  she  contributed  her  full 
share  to  the  success  of  the  contest.  Wherever  a  bat 
tle  was  fought, — whether  at  Long  Island,  White 
Plains,  Trenton,  Princeton,  Brandywine,  or  German- 
town, — some  of  her  brave  sons  were  found  slain  upon 
the  field. 

In  October,  1777,  General  Burgoyne  surrendered 
his  army,  at  Saratoga,  to  the  American  general,  Gates. 
The  captured  troops  were  sent  to  Massachusetts.  Not 
long  afterwards,  Dr.  Franklin  and  other  American 
commissioners  made  a  treaty  at  Paris,  by  which  France 
bound  herself  to  assist  our  countrymen.  The  gallant 
Lafayette  was  already  fighting  for  our  freedom  by  the 
side  of  Washington.  In  1778  a  French  fleet,  com 
manded  by  Count  d'Estaing,  spent  a  considerable  time 
in  Boston  harbor.  It  marks  the  vicissitudes  of  human 
affairs,  that  the  French,  our  ancient  enemies,  should 
come  hither  as  comrades  and  brethren,  and  that  kin 
dred  England  should  be  our  foe. 

"  While  the  war  was  raging  in  the  middle  and  south 
ern  States,"  proceeded  Grandfather,  "  Massachusetts 
had  leisure  to  settle  a  new  constitution  of  government 
instead  of  the  royal  charter.  This  was  done  in  1780. 
In  the  same  year  John  Hancock,  who  had  been  presi 
dent  of  Congress,  was  chosen  governor  of  the  state. 
He  was  the  first  whom  the  people  had  elected  since 
the  days  of  old  Simon  Bradstreet." 

"  But,  Grandfather,  who  had  been  governor  since 
the  British  were  driven  away  ?  "  inquired  Laurence. 
"  General  Gage  and  Sir  William  Howe  were  the  last 
whom  you  have  told  us  of." 

"There  had  been  no  governor  for  the  last  four 


216  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

years,"  replied  Grandfather.  "Massachusetts  had 
•been  ruled  by  the  legislature,  to  whom  the  people  paid 
obedience  of  their  own  accord.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  circumstances  in  our  history,  that,  when 
the  charter  goverment  was  overthrown  by  the  war,  no 
,  anarchy  nor  the  slighest  confusion  ensued.  This  was 
a  great  honor  to  the  people.  But,  now,  Hancock  was 
proclaimed  governor  by  sound  of  trumpet ;  and  there 
was  again  a  settled  government." 

Grandfather  again  adverted  to  the  progress  of  the 
war.  In  1781  General  Greene  drove  the  British  from 
the  southern  states.  In  October  of  the  same  year  Gen 
eral  "Washington  compelled  Lord  Cornwallis  to  sur 
render  his  army,  at  Yorktown,  in  Virginia.  This  was 
the  last  great  event  of  the  revolutionary  contest. 
King  George  and  his  ministers  perceived  that  all  the 
might  of  England  could  not  compel  America  to  renew 
her  allegiance  to  the  crown.  After  a  great  deal  of  dis 
cussion,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  in  September, 
1T83. 

"  Now,  at  last,"  said  Grandfather,  "  after  weary 
years  of  war,  the  regiments  of  Massachusetts  returned 
in  peace  to  their  families.  Now  the  stately  and  dig 
nified  leaders,  such  as  General  Lincoln  and  General 
Knox,  with  their  powdered  hair  and  their  uniforms  of 
blue  and  buff,  were  seen  moving  about  the  streets." 

"  And  little  boys  ran  after  them,  I  suppose,"  re 
marked  Charley ;  "  and  the  grown  people  bowed  re 
spectfully." 

"  They  deserved  respect,  for  they  were  good  men 
as  well  as  brave,"  answered  Grandfather.  "  Now,  too, 
the  inferior  officers  and  privates  came  home  to  seek 
gome  peaceful  occupation.  Their  friends  remembered 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  217 

them  as  slender  and  smooth-cheeked  young  men  ;  but 
they  returned  with  the  erect  and  rigid  mien  of  disci 
plined  soldiers.  Some  hobbled  on  crutches  and  wooden 
legs ;  others  had  received  wounds,  which  were  still 
rankling  in  their  breasts.  Many,  alas !  had  fallen  in 
battle,  and  perhaps  were  left  unburied  on  the  bloody 
field." 

"The  country  must  have  been  sick  of  war,"  ob 
served  Laurence. 

"  One  would  have  thought  so,"  said  Grandfather. 
"  Yet  only  two  or  three  years  elapsed  before  the  folly 
of  some  misguided  men  caused  another  mustering  of 
soldiers.  This  affair  was  called  Shays'  war,  because 
a  Captain  Shays  was  the  chief  leader  of  the  insur 
gents." 

"  O  Grandfather,  don't  let  there  be  another  war !  " 
cried  little  Alice,  piteously. 

Grandfather  comforted  his  dear  little  girl  by  assur 
ing  her  that  there  was  no  great  mischief  done.  Shays' 
war  happened  in  the  latter  part  of  1786  and  the  be 
ginning  of  the  following  year.  Its  principal  cause 
was  the  badness  of  times.  The  state  of  Massachu 
setts,  in  its  public  capacity,  was  very  much  in  debt. 
So,  likewise,  were  many  of  the  people.  An  insurrec 
tion  took  place,  the  object  of  which  seems  to  have 
been  to  interrupt  the  course  of  la'w  and  get  rid  of 
debts  and  taxes. 

James  Bowdoin,  a  good  and  able  man,  was  now 
governor  of  Massachusetts.  He  sent  General  Lin 
coln,  at  the  head  of  four  thousand  men,  to  put  down 
the  insurrection.  This  general,  who  had  fought 
through  several  hard  campaigns  in  the  Revolution, 
managed  matters  like  an  old  soldier,  and  totally 


,218  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

defeated  the  rebels  at  the  expense  of  very  littla 
blood. 

"  There  is  but  one  more  public  event  to  be  recorded 
in  the  history  of  our  chair,"  proceeded  Grandfather. 
"  In  the  year  1Y94  Samuel  Adams  was  elected  gov 
ernor  of  Massachusetts.  I  have  told  you  what  a  dis 
tinguished  patriot  he  was,  and  how  much  he  resembled 
the  stern  old  Puritans.  Could  the  ancient  freemen 
of  Massachusetts  who  lived  in  the  days  of  the  first 
charter  have  arisen  from  their  graves,  they  would 
probably  have  voted  for  Samuel  Adams  to  be  gov 
ernor." 

"  Well,  Grandfather,  I  hope  he  sat  in  our  chair !  " 
said  Clara. 

"lie  did,"  replied  Grandfather.  "He  had  long 
been  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  barber's  shop,  where 
our  venerable  chair,  philosophically  forgetful  of  its 
former  dignities,  had  now  spent  nearly  eighteen  not 
uncomfortable  years.  Such  a  remarkable  piece  of 
furniture,  so  evidently  a  relic  of  long-departed  times, 
could  not  escape  the  notice  of  Samuel  Adams.  He 
made  minute  researches  into  its  history,  and  ascer 
tained  what  a  succession  of  excellent  and  famous  peo 
ple  had  occupied  it." 

"How  did  he  find  it  out?"  aaked  Charley;  "for  I 
suppose  the  chair  could  not  tell  its  own  history." 

"  There  used  to  be  a  vast  collection  of  ancient  let 
ters  and  other  documents  in  the  tower  of  the  Old 
South  church,"  answered  Grandfather.  Perhaps  the 
history  of  our  chair  was  contained  among  these.  At 
all  events,  Samuel  Adams  appears  to  have  been  well 
acquainted  with  it.  When  he  became  governor,  he 
felt  that  he  could  have  no  more  honorable  seat  than 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  219 

that  which  had  been  the  ancient  Chair  of  State. 
He  therefore  purchased  it  for  a  trifle,  and  filled  it  wor 
thily  for  three  years  as  governor  of  Massachusetts." 

"  And  what  next  ? "  asked  Charley. 

"  That  is  all,"  said  Grandfather,  heaving  a  sigh  ;  for 
he  could  not  help  being  a  little  sad  at  the  thought 
that  his  stories  must  close  here.  "  Samuel  Adams 
died  in  1803,  at  the  age  of  above  three-score  'and  ten. 
lie  was  a  great  patriot,  but  a  poor  man.  At  his 
death  he  left  scarcely  property  enough  to  pay  the  ex 
penses  of  his  funeral.  This  precious  chair,  among 
his  other  effects,  was  sold  at  auction  ;  and  your  Grand 
father,  who  was  then  in  the  strength  of  his  years,  be 
came  the  purchaser." 

Laurence,  with  a  mind  full  of  thoughts  that  strug 
gled  for  expression  but  could  find  none,  looked  stead 
fastly  at  the  chair. 

lie  had  now  learned  all  its  history,  yet  was  not  sat 
isfied. 

a  Oh,  how  I  wish  that  the  chair  could  speak !  " 
cried  he.  "  After  its  Ions:  intercourse  with  man- 

O 

kind, — after  looking  upon  the  world  for  ages, — what 
lessons  of  golden  wisdom  it  might  utter  !  It  might 
teach  a  private  person  how  to  lead  a  good  and  happy 
life, — or  a  statesman  how  to  make  his  country  pros 
perous." 


CHAPTER  XL 

GRANDFATHER  was  struck  by  Laurence's  idea  that 
the  historic  chair  should  utter  a  voice,  and  thus  pour 
forth  the  collected  wisdom  of  two  centuries.  The  old 
gentleman  had  once  possessed  no  inconsiderable  share 
of  fancy  ;  and  even  now  its  fading  sunshine  occasion 
ally  glimmered  among  his  more  sombre  reflections. 

As  the  history  of  his  chair  had  exhausted  all  his 
facts,  Grandfather  determined  to  have  recourse  to 
fable.  So,  after  warning  the  children  that  they  must 
not  mistake  this  story  for  a  true  one,  he  related  what 
we  shall  call — 

GRANDFATHER'S  DREAM. 

Laurence  and  Clara,  where  were  you  last  night? 
Where  were  you,  Charley,  and  dear  little  Alice  ? 
You  had  all  gone  to  rest,  and  left  old  Grandfather  to 
meditate  alone  in  his  great  chair.  The  lamp  ha».l 
grown  so  dim  that  its  light  hardly  illuminated  the 
alabaster  shade.  The  wood  lire  had  crumbled  into 
heavy  embers,  among  which  the  little  flames  danced, 
and  quivered,  and  sported  about  like  fairies. 

And  here  sat  Grandfather  all  by  himself.  He 
knew  that  it  was  bedtime ;  yet  he  could  not  help 
longing  to  hear  your  merry  voices,  or  to  hold  a  com 
fortable  chat  with  some  old  friend  ;  because  then  his 
pillow  would  be  visited  by  pleasant  dreams.  But,  aa 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  221 

neither  children  nor  friends  were  at  hand,  Grand 
father  leaned  back  in  the  great  chair  and  closed  his 
eyes,  for  the  sake  of  meditating  more  profoundly. 

And,  when  Grandfather's  meditations  had  grown 
very  profound  indeed,  he  fancied  that  he  heard  a  sound 
over  his  head,  as  if  somebody  were  preparing  to  speak. 

"  Hem  !  "  it  said,  in  a  dry,  husky  tone.  "  H-e-m  ! 
Hem  ! " 

As  Grandfather  did  not  know  that  any  person  was 
in  the  rocm,  he  started  up  in  great  surprise,  and  peeped 
hither  and  thither,  behind  the  chair,  and  into  the  re 
cess  by  the  fireside  and  at  the  dark  nook  yonder  near 
the  bookcase.  Nobody  could  he  see. 

"  Pooh  !  "  said  Grandfather  to  himself,  "  I  must  have 
been  dreaming." 

But,  just  as  he  was  going  to  resume  his  seat,  Grand 
father  happened  to  look  at  the  great  chair.  The  rays 
of  firelight  were  flickering  upon  it  in  such  a  manner 
that  it  really  seemed  as  if  its  oaken  frame  were  all 
alive.  What !  Did  it  not  move  its  elbow  ?  There, 
too !  It  certainly  lifted  one  of  its  ponderous  fore-legs 
as  if  it  had  a  notion  of  drawing  itself  a  little  nearer  to 
the  fire.  Meanwhile  the  lion's  head  nodded  at  Grand 
father  with  as  polite  and  sociable  a  look  as  a  lion's 
visage,  carved  in  oak,  could  possibly  be  expected  to 
assume.  Well,  this  is  strange  ! 

"  Good  evening,  my  old  friend,"  said  the  dry  and 
husky  voice,  now  a  little  clearer  than  before.  "  We 
have  been  intimately  acquainted  so  long  that  I  think 
it  high  time  we  have  a  chat  together." 

Grandfather  was  looking  straight  at  the  lion's  head, 
and  could  not  be  mistaken  in  supposing  that  it  moved 
its  lips.  So  here  the  mystery  was  all  explained. 


222  GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 

"  I  was  not  aware,"  said  Grandfather,  writh  a  civil 
salutation  to  his  oaken  companion,  "  that  you  pos 
sessed  the  faculty  of  speech.  Otherwise  I  should 
often  have  been  glad  to  converse  with  such  a  solid, 
useful,  and  substantial  if  not  brilliant  member  of  so 
ciety." 

"  Oh  !  "  replied  the  ancient  chair,  in  a  quiet  and  easy 
tone,  for  it  had  now  cleared  its  th?*oat  of  the  dust  of 
ages, "  I  am  naturally  a  silent  and  incommunicative  sort 
of  character.  Once  or  twice  in  the  course  of  a  cen 
tury  I  unclose  my  lips.  When  the  gentle  Lady  Arbella 
departed  this  life  I  uttered  a  groan.  When  the  honest 
mint-master  weighed  his  plump  daughter  against  the 
pine-tree  shillings  I  chuckled  audibly  at  the  joke. 
When  old  Simon  Bradstreet  took  the  place  of  the  ty 
rant  Andros  1  joined  in  the  general  huzza,  and  ca 
pered  on  my  wooden  legs  for  joy.  To  be  sure,  the  by 
standers  were  so  fully  occupied  with  their  own  feelings 
that  my  sympathy  was  quite  unnoticed." 

"  And  have  you  often  held  a  private  chat  with  your 
friends  ?  "  asked  Grandfather. 

"  Not  often,"  answered  the  chair.  "  I  once  talked 
with  Sir  William  Phips,  and  communicated  my  ideas 
about  the  witchcraft  delusion.  Cotton  Mather  had 
several  conversations  with  me,  and  derived  great  ben 
efit  from  my  historical  reminiscences.  In  the  days  of 
the  Stamp  Act  I  whispered  in  the  ear  of  Hutchinson, 
bidding  him  to  remember  what  stock  his  countrymen 
were  descended  of,  and  to  think  whether  the  spirit 
of  their  forefathers  had  utterly  departed  from  them. 
The  last  man  whom  I  favored  with  a  colloquy  was  that 
stout  old  republican,  Samuel  Adams." 

"  And  how  happens  it,"  inquired  Grandfather,  "  that 


GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR.  223 

there  is  no  record  nor  tradition  of  your  conversational 
abilities  ?  It  is  an  uncommon  thing  to  meet  with  a 
chair  that  can  talk." 

"  Why,  to  tell  you  the  truth,"  said  the  chair,  giving 
itself  a  hitch  nearer  to  the  hearth,  "  I  am  not  apt  to 
choose  the  most  suitable  moments  for  unclosing  my 
lips.  Sometimes  I  have  inconsiderately  begun  to  speak, 
when  my  occupant,  lolling  back  in  my  arms,  was  in 
clined  to  take  an  after-dinner  nap.  Or,  perhaps  the 
impulse  to  talk  may  be  felt  at  midnight,  when  the 
lamp  burns  dim  and  the  fire  crumbles  into  decay,  and 
the  studious  or  thoughtful  man  finds  that  his  brain  is 
in  a  mist.  Of  tenest,  I  have  unwisely  uttered  my  wis 
dom  in  the  ears  of  sick  persons,  when  the  inquietude 
of  fever  made  them  toss  about  upon  my  cushion.  And 
so  it  happens,  that,  though  my  words  make  a  pretty 
strong  impression  at  the  moment,  yet  my  auditors  in 
variably  remember  them  only  as  a  dream.  I  should 
not  wonder  if  you,  my  excellent  friend,  were  to  do  the 
same  to-morrow  morning." 

"  JSi  or  I  either,"  thought  Grandfather  to  himself. 
However,  he  thanked  this  respectable  old  chair  for 
beginning  the  conversation,  and  begged  to  know 
whether  it  had  anything  particular  to  communicate. 

"  I  have  been  listening  attentively  to  your  narra 
tive  of  my  adventures,"  replied  the  chair ;  "  and  it 
must  be  owned  that  your  correctness  entitles  you  to  be 
held  up  as  a  pattern  to  biographers.  Nevertheless, 
there  are  a  few  omissions  which  I  should  be  glad  to 
see  supplied.  For  instance,  you  make  no  mention  of 
the  good  knight  Sir  Richard  Saltonstall,  nor  of  the 
famous  Hugh  Peters,  nor  of  those  old  regicide  judges, 
Whalley,  Goffe,  and  Dixwell.  Yet  I  have  borne  the 


224  GRANDFATHERS  CHAIR 

weight  of  all  those  distinguished  characters  at  one 
time  or  another." 

Grandfather  promised  amendment  if  ever  he  should 
have  an  opportunity  to  repeat  his  narrative.  The 
good  old  chair,  which  still  seemed  to  retain  a  due  re 
gard  for  outward  appearance,  then  reminded  him  how 
long  a  time  had  passed  since  it  had  heen  provided 
with  a  new  cushion.  It  likewise  expressed  the  opin 
ion  that  the  oaken  figures -on  its  back  would  show  to 
much  better  advantage  by  the  aid  of  a  little  varnish. 

"  And  I  have  had  a  complaint  in  this  joint,"  con 
tinued  the  chair,  endeavoring  to  lift  one  of  its  legs, 
"  ever  since  Charley  trundled  his  wheelbarrow  against 
me." 

"  It  shall  be  attended  to,"  said  Grandfather.  "  And 
now,  venerable  chair,  I  have  a  favor  to  solicit.  Dur 
ing  an  existence  of  more  than  two  centuries  you  have* 
had  a  familiar  intercourse  with  men  who  were  es 
teemed  the  wisest  of  their  day.  Doubtless,  with  your 
capacious  understanding,  you  have  treasured  up  many 
an  invaluable  lesson  of  wisdom.  You  certainly  have 
had  time  enough  to  guess  the  riddle  of  life.  Tell  us, 
poor  mortals,  then,  how  we  may  be  happy." 

The  lion's  head  fixed  its  eyes  thoughtfully  upon  the 
fire,  and  the  whole  chair  assumed  an  aspect  of  deep 
meditation.  Finally,  it  beckoned  to  Grandfather 
with  its  elbow,  and  made  a  step  sideways  towards  him, 
as  if  it  had  a  very  important  secret  to  communicate. 

"  As  long  as  I  have  stood  in  the  midst  of  human 
affairs,"  said  the  chair,  with  a  very  oracular  enun 
ciation.  "I  have  constantly  observed  that  JUSTICE, 
TRUTH,  and  LOVE  are  the  chief  ingredients  of  every 
liappy  life." 


GRANDFATHER'S   CHAIR.  22? 

"Justice,  Truth,  and  Love!"  exclaimed  Grand 
father.  "We  need  not  exist  two  centuries  to  find  out 
that  these  qualities  are  essential  to  our  happiness. 
This  is  no  secret.  Every  human  being  is  born  with 
the  instinctive  knowledge  of  it." 

"Ah!"  cried  the  chair,  drawing  back  in  surprise. 
"From  \vhat  I  have  observed  of  the  dealings  of  man 
with  man,  and  nation  with  nation,  I  never  should  have 
suspected  that  they  knew  this  all-important  secret. 
And,  with  this  eternal  lesson  written  in  your  soul,  do 
you  ask  me  to  sift  new  wisdom  for  you  out  of  my 
petty  existence  of  two  or  three  centuries  ?  " 

"But,  my  dear  chair" — said  Grandfather. 

"  Xot  a  word  more,"  interrupted  the  chair;  "here 
I  close  my  lips  for  the  next  hundred  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  period,  if  I  shall  have  discovered  any  new 
precepts  of  happiness  better  than  what  Heaven  has 
already  taught  you,  they  shall  assuredly  be  given  to 
the  world." 

In  the  energy  of  its  utterance  the  oaken  chair 
seemed  to  stamp  its  foot,  and  trod  (we  hope  uninten 
tionally)  upon  Grandfather's  toe.  The  old  gentleman 
started,  and  found  that  he  had  been  asleep  in  the 
great  chair,  and  that  his  heavy  walking  stick  had 
fallen  down  across  his  foot. 


"Grandfather,"  cried  little  Alice,  clapping  her 
hands,  "you  must  dream  a  new  dream  every  nighr 
about  our  chair !  " 

Laurence,  and  Clara,  and  Charley  said  the  same. 
But  the  good  old  gentleman  shook  his  head,  and  de 
clared  that  here  ended  the  history,  real  or  fabulous,  of 
GRANDFATHER'S  CHAIR. 
15 


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